Low level termination of external carotid artery and its clinical significance: A case report

The external carotid arterial system is a complex vascular system providing nourishment to the territorial areas of the head and neck. The branches of the external carotid artery are the key landmarks for adequate exposure and appropriate placement of cross-clamps on the carotid arteries during carotid endarterectomy. Knowledge of anatomical variation of the external carotid artery is important in head and neck surgeries. Variations in the branching pattern of the external carotid artery are well known and documented. We report a rare case of low-level termination of the external carotid artery. It terminated by dividing into maxillary and superficial temporal arteries deep into the posterior belly of the digastric muscle, one inch below the angle of the mandible. The occipital and posterior auricular arteries arose from a common trunk given off by the external carotid artery. [Arch Clin Exp Surg 2015; 4(3.000): 160-163