Quick Facts
Origin: External carotid artery.
Course: Ascends between the parotid gland and styloid process, then between the auricular cartilage and mastoid process.
Branches: Stylomastoid artery and auricular, occipital, and parotid branches.
Supplied Structures: Middle and external ear, mastoid air cells, muscles of the neck, and facial nerve.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The posterior auricular artery arises from the posterior aspect of the external carotid artery, just above the posterior belly of digastric and the stylohyoid muscle. In 12% of cases, the posterior auricular artery may arise from the occipital artery (Tubbs et al, 2016).
Course
The posterior auricular artery ascends in the neck between the parotid gland and the styloid process. It then travels in a groove between the auricular cartilage and the mastoid process of the temporal bone.
Branches
In the neck, the posterior auricular artery gives off the stylomastoid artery and several small muscular branches.
As the posterior auricular artery travels between the auricular cartilage and mastoid processes, it provides auricular and occipital branches. Additionally, the posterior auricular artery anastomosis with the auricular branch of the occipital artery.
Supplied Structures
In the neck, the posterior auricular artery provided arterial supply the digastric, stylohyoid, and sternocleidomastoid muscles, as well as the parotid gland.
In the head, the posterior auricular artery provides arterial supply to the extrinsic auricular muscles (auricularis anterior, superior, and posterior), the external acoustic meatus, auricle, middle ear, facial nerve (via the stylomastoid artery), and mastoid air cells.
References
Tubbs, R. S., Shoja, M. M. & Loukas, M. (2016) Bergman's Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation. Wiley.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Posterior Auricular Artery
The posterior auricular artery arises from the back of the external carotid artery above the posterior belly of the digastric muscle.
