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Internal maxillary artery

Dr Alexandra Stanislavsky and Dr Frank Gaillard et al.

The internal maxillary artery is the larger of the two terminal branches of the external carotid artery. Its origin is behind the neck of the mandible, and is at first imbedded in the substance of the parotid gland. From there it passes forward between the ramus of the mandible and the sphenomandibular ligament, and then runs, either superficial or deep to the lateral pterygoid, to the pterygopalatine fossa. It supplies the deep structures of the face.

It can be divided into three parts:

  • first : mandibular (5 branches)
  • second : pterygoid (muscular) (5 branches)
  • third: pterygopalatine (5 branches + termination)
First part (mandibular)

Five branches, each of which enters a bony foramen

  1. deep auricular
  2. anterior tympanic
  3. middle meningeal
  4. accessory meningeal
  5. inferior alveolar
Second part (pterygoid)
  1. deep temporal branches (anterior)
  2. deep temporal branches (posterior)
  3. pterygoid branches
  4. masseteric artery
  5. buccinator artery

Pterygoid branches are irregular in their number and origin and supply the pterygoid muscles.

Third part (pterygopalatine)
  1. posterior superior alveolar artery
  2. infraorbital artery 
  3. artery of the pterygoid canal 
  4. Pharyngeal artery 
  5. greater (descending) palatine artery 

The maxillary artery terminates as the sphenopalatine artery.

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