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Caroticotympanic artery

origin: C2 segment of the internal carotid artery
course: passes posterolaterally into the middle ear cavity
branches: small, to the middle ear
termination: anastamoses with the <a href="/articles/missing?article%5Btitle%5D=Inferior+tympanic+artery" class="new-internal" title="Inferior tympanic artery">inferior tympanic artery
variants: ?

Dr Frank Gaillard et al.

The caroticotympanic branch (tympanic branch) is a small branch from the C2 segment of the internal carotid artery. It is a vestigial remnant of the hyoid artery.

It passes posterolaterally into the middle ear cavity and anastamoses with the inferior tympanic artery (a branch of the external carotid artery ). It is this anastamosis that forms the basis of the aberrant internal carotid artery.