Quick Facts
Origin: External carotid artery.
Course: Ascends in the neck between the internal carotid artery and the pharynx.
Branches: Pharyngeal and Neuromeningeal trunks.
Supplied Structures: Pharynx, soft palate, ear, meninges.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The ascending pharyngeal artery is the smallest branch arising from the external carotid artery.
Course
The ascending pharyngeal artery ascends from the medial surface of the external carotid artery, between the internal carotid artery and the pharynx, to the base of the cranium. The artery is crossed by the styloglossus and stylopharyngeus muscles.
Branches
The ascending pharyngeal artery gives rise to several pharyngeal branches and the Neuromeningeal trunk (Hacein-Bey et al, 2002). Additionally, it gives of several unnamed branches to the muscles and viscera of the neck.
Supplied Structures
The ascending pharyngeal artery supplies the pharynx, soft palate, the ear, and meninges. Additionally, as it ascends in the neck, it supplies branches to the longus capitis and longus colli muscles, the sympathetic trunk, the hypoglossal, glossopharyngeal, and vagus nerves, and some cervical lymph nodes.
References
Hacein-Bey, L., Daniels, D. L., Ulmer, J. L., Mark, L. P., Smith, M. M., Strottmann, J. M., Brown, D., Meyer, G. A. & Wackym, P. A. (2002) The Ascending Pharyngeal Artery: Branches, Anastomoses, and Clinical Significance. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 23(7), 1246.
