Maxillary artery

MAXILLARY ARTERY

Course & Relations Branches Clinical Anatomy

1 Course and Relations

  • The maxillary artery is the larger terminal branch of the external carotid artery (ECA).
  • It is given off behind the neck of the mandible.

First (Mandibular) Part

  • Runs horizontally forwards.
  • First passes between:
    • Neck of mandible
    • Sphenomandibular ligament
  • It lies below the auriculotemporal nerve.
  • Then it runs along the lower border of lateral pterygoid.

Second (Pterygoid) Part

  • Runs upwards and forwards.
  • Lies superficial to the lower head of lateral pterygoid.

Third (Pterygopalatine) Part

  • Passes between the two heads of lateral pterygoid.
  • Passes through the pterygomaxillary fissure.
  • Enters the pterygopalatine fossa.

2 Branches of Maxillary Artery

From First Part

  1. Deep auricular artery
  2. Anterior tympanic artery
  3. Middle meningeal artery
  4. Accessory meningeal artery
  5. Inferior alveolar artery

From Second Part

  1. Masseteric artery
  2. Deep temporal artery
  3. Pterygoid artery
  4. Buccal artery

From Third Part

  1. Posterior superior alveolar artery
  2. Infraorbital artery
  3. Greater palatine artery
  4. Pharyngeal artery
  5. Artery to pterygoid canal
  6. Sphenopalatine artery → terminal branch or continuation.

3 Clinical Anatomy

Injury to Middle Meningeal Artery

  • The anterior branch of the middle meningeal artery is likely to be injured at the pterion in roadside accidents.
  • It leads to extradural haemorrhage.
  • The clot must be sucked out at the earliest; otherwise, it may compress the motor area of brain.

Blood Supply of Teeth

  • Bleeding from lower teeth → from branches of the inferior alveolar artery, which is from the 1st part of maxillary artery.
  • Bleeding from upper teeth → from branches of the 3rd part of maxillary artery:
    • Posterior-superior alveolar artery
    • Infraorbital artery

Sphenopalatine Artery and Epistaxis

  • Sphenopalatine artery is the terminal branch of the 3rd part of maxillary artery.
  • It anastomoses with neighbouring vessels to form a large capillary plexus called Kiesselbach’s plexus.
  • It is located at the anteroinferior angle of the nasal septum.
  • This is a common site of bleeding from the nose, called epistaxis.
  • This area is known as Little’s area.
  • Therefore, the sphenopalatine artery is called “the artery of epistaxis.”