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Blood Supply to the Head and Neck Quiz
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Which artery provides the main blood supply to the face, scalp and neck?
- A Basilar artery You picked ✕
- B Internal carotid artery You picked ✕
- C External carotid artery You picked ✓
- D Vertebral artery You picked ✕
- E Subclavian artery You picked ✕
Correct!
Incorrect
The answer is C: External carotid artery
Explanation
Why C is correct
See Arterial Supply. Option C is correct: the external carotid artery (ECA) is the major blood supply to the extracranial structures, meaning the things on the outside of the skull such as the face, scalp, jaws and the muscles and glands of the neck. It leaves the carotid sheath after the common carotid artery divides, gives off eight branches and ends inside the parotid gland (the large salivary gland in front of the ear) by dividing into its two terminal branches, the maxillary and superficial temporal arteries. The internal carotid and vertebral arteries do the opposite job: they carry blood inside the skull to the brain, which needs around 0.75 to 1 litre of blood every minute. The territories do overlap a little. The forehead, for example, is supplied both by the superficial temporal artery (an ECA branch) and by the ophthalmic artery (an internal carotid branch), so it is not an exclusively internal carotid territory. A simple memory aid: External supplies the Exterior of the skull, Internal supplies the Interior.
- Main supply: the external carotid artery supplies the structures outside the skull, such as the face, scalp, jaws and neck.
- Termination: it ends in the parotid gland as the maxillary and superficial temporal arteries.
- Intracranial supply: the internal carotid and vertebral arteries supply the brain.
Why the other options are incorrect
- A. Basilar artery: The basilar artery is formed inside the skull when the two vertebral arteries join, and it feeds the back of the brain. As it is wholly intracranial, it cannot be the main supply of structures outside the skull. Your answer
- B. Internal carotid artery: The internal carotid artery travels through the carotid canal into the skull to supply the brain and, through its ophthalmic branch, the eye. It would be the answer if the question asked about the blood supply of the brain itself. Your answer
- D. Vertebral artery: The vertebral artery climbs through the neck vertebrae and enters the skull through the foramen magnum (the large opening at the base of the skull). It supplies the back of the brain, so it is an intracranial supply, not the main supply to the face and scalp. Your answer
- E. Subclavian artery: The subclavian artery runs beneath the collarbone to supply the shoulder and arm, and it gives rise to the vertebral artery. It is not the main source of blood to the outside of the head and neck. Your answer
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More questions from this set. Start the quiz to answer them and see each explanation.
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1
Which vein is formed by the union of the posterior auricular vein and the posterior branch of the retromandibular vein?
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2
An elderly patient has recurrent posterior epistaxis (nosebleeds from the back of the nose) that does not respond to pressure on the nose or to anterior nasal packing. Which artery is the most likely source?
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