a BRANCHES OF THE EXTERNAL CAROTID ARTERY. 761 
(3) Facial Artery.—The facial or external maxillary artery (a. maxillaris 
externa, Fig. 554) springs from the front of the external carotid immediately 
above the lingual, and terminates at the side of the nose, where it divides into 
lateral nasal and angular branches. 
Course.—It commences in the carotid triangle and passes upwards and slightly 
forwards through the submaxillary triangle to the angle of the jaw. It then runs 
forwards as far as the anterior margin of the masseter, where it turns round the 
lower border of the body of the mandible, and is then continued upwards and 
inwards, in the face, to its termination. 
Relations.—In the carotid triangle the artery, except just at its origin, which is 
beneath the anterior fibres of the sterno-mastoid muscle, is comparatively superficial. Its 
deep surface rests on the middle and superior constrictor muscles which separate it from 
the lower part of the tonsil. As it passes into the submaxillary triangle it is crossed by 
the stylo-hyoid muscle and by the posterior belly of the digastric. In the submaxillary 
triangle it is embedded in a groove in the posterior end of the submaxillary gland, and it 
is separated by the gland from the more superficially-situated facial vein. In the upper 
part of the submaxillary region the artery is just under cover of the ramus of the lower 
jaw. 
Turning round the lower border of the body of the jaw, which it grooves slightly, the 
artery becomes more superficial than in any other part of its course, being covered only by 
platysma, fascia, and skin. At this point the facial vein is close behind the artery, and 
lies on the surface of the masseter. On the face the artery lies between the platsyma, 
the risorius, the zygomaticus major and the levator labii superioris, which, with skin 
and fascia, are superficial to it, and the buccinator and levator anguli oris, which are 
deeper. The termination of the artery is in the substance of the levator labii superioris 
et alee nasi. 
The facial vein, though still posterior to the artery in the face, runs a somewhat 
straighter course, and is situated at some little distance from it. 
Branches.—Four named branches are given off in the neck, and seven in the face. 
In the Neck. —(a) The ascending palatine (a. palatina ascendens, Fig. 556) is a 
small artery which arises from the facial as it enters the submaxillary triangle. It 
ascends under the internal pterygoid and upon the superior constrictor and, passing 
between the stylo-glossus and the stylo-pharyngeus muscles, reaches the apex of the 
petrous portion of the temporal bone, where it turns downwards accompanying the levator 
palati muscle, pierces the pharyngeal aponeurosis, and enters the soft palate. 
lt supplies the lateral wall of the upper part of the pharynx, the soft palate, the 
tonsils, and the Eustachian tube, and it anastomoses with the tonsillar branch of the facial, 
the dorsalis linguze, the posterior palatine branch of the internal maxillary, and with the 
ascending pharyngeal artery which sometimes replaces it. 
(6) The tonsillar (ramus tonsillaris), a small artery which arises close to the ascend- 
ing palatine. It passes upwards between the internal pterygoid and the stylo-glossus, 
pierces the superior constrictor, and terminates in the tonsil. It supplies the middle and 
superior constrictor muscles, and it anastomoses with the dorsalis linguee, with the ascend- 
ing palatine branch, and with the ascending pharyngeal artery. 
(c) The submaxillary or glandular branch is frequently represented by two or three 
small twigs (rami glandulares) which pass directly from the facial trunk into the sub- 
stance of the submaxillary gland. 
(d) The submental branch (a. submentalis) arises from the facial just as the latter 
vessel turns round the inferior border of the body of the jaw. It is the largest branch 
given off in the neck and it runs forwards, on the outer surface of the mylo-hyoid muscle 
and under the upper part of the submaxillary gland, to the symphysis menti, where it 
turns upwards round the margin of the jaw, and terminates by anastomosing with 
branches of the mental and inferior labial arteries. In the neck the submental artery 
supplies the mylo-hyoid muscle, and the submaxillary and sublingual glands, the latter 
by a branch which perforates the mylo-hyoid muscle. It anastomoses with the mylo- 
hyoid branch of the inferior dental and with the sublingual artery. In the face it 
supplies the structures of the lower lip, and anastomoses with the mental branch of 
the inferior dental, awd with the inferior labial and inferior coronary branches of the 
facial artery. 
In the Face.—(e) The inferior labial branch (a. labialis inferior) arises from 
the front of the facial artery immediately above the lower border of the mandible. 
It runs forwards beneath the depressor muscles of the angle of the mouth and the 
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