Posterior Auricular Artery, Lateral View

Description

Running superiorly in the retroauricular groove, the posterior auricular artery is shown as a branch of the external carotid artery arising just superior to the posterior belly of the digastric and deep to the parotid region. From its origin it courses posterior to the auricle, lying against the mastoid part of the temporal bone and deep to the auricular muscles, with the sternocleidomastoid attaching inferiorly at the mastoid process. Small branches distribute to the scalp posterior to the external acoustic meatus and to the posterior surface of the pinna, in close relationship to the posterior auricular vein and the posterior auricular nerve in the same territory. A lateral rendering clarifies why this vessel matters in otologic and parotid surgery: it marks the posterior limit of the parotid tail and runs near the plane used for postauricular incisions in mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty. Injury can produce brisk bleeding and a troublesome field, and its branches contribute to the vascular supply of auricular and postauricular skin flaps used in reconstruction after trauma or tumor excision. Close proximity to the facial nerve trunk near the stylomastoid foramen also makes the posterior auricular region a high-stakes dissection zone. Orientation is everything. Educators can place this asset into head and neck gross anatomy sessions when teaching the external carotid branches and regional surface landmarks around the mastoid process and auricle. It also reads well in operative atlases for postauricular approaches, ENT handouts on flap planning, and radiology teaching files that correlate scalp and pinna perfusion territories with contrast-enhanced CTA or catheter angiography. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.