External carotid artery branches in 9 min. on tips.

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At the origin, the external carotid artery is more medial than the internal carotid artery. When the external carotid artery ascends the neck, it lies more lateral than the internal carotid artery.[2]

The external carotid artery is covered by the skin, superficial fascia, platysma muscle, deep fascia, and anterior margin of the sternocleidomastoid; it is crossed by the hypoglossal nerve, by the lingual, ranine, common facial, and superior thyroid veins; and by the digastricus and stylohyoideus muscles; higher up it passes deeply into the substance of the parotid gland, where it lies deep to the facial nerve and the junction of the temporal and internal maxillary veins.

Medial to it are the hyoid bone, the wall of the pharynx, the superior laryngeal nerve, and a portion of the parotid gland.

Posterior to it, near its origin, is the superior laryngeal nerve; and higher up, it is separated from the internal carotid by the styloglossus and stylopharyngeus muscles, glosglossopharyngealve, the pharyngeal branch of the vagus, and part of the parotid gland.