The external carotid artery (or ECA) is the main contributor of blood supply to the head and upper neck, branching off the common carotid artery (CCA) at the 4th cervical vertebra.
Branches
As it ascends, the ECA branches out to 8 major branches by this order (inferior to superior):
- Superior Thyroid artery
- Ascending Pharyngeal artery
- Lingual artery
- Facial artery
- Occipital artery
- Posterior Auricular artery
- Maxillary artery
- Superficial Temporal artery
The maxillary and superficial temporal arteries are the terminal branches of the ECA, with the maxillary being the bigger terminal branch.