Ligation of External Carotid Artery

                                   Ligation of External Carotid Artery 

Indications-

•  Bleeding from Oral Malignancies
•  Slipping of Superior pedicle of Thyroid Gland
• Arterio Venous Malformation of Scalp

 
Anaesthesia- General Anaesthesia

Position- Supine with neck extended to opposite side

Incision-Oblique incision along the anterior border of Sterno Mastoid over the middle third.

Procedure-

1.     Skin and Platysma are cut along the line of incision

2.     Anterior border of Sternomastoid is retracted posteriorly

3.     Internal Jugular Vein (IJV) is identified

4.     Common carotid Artery is found medial to IJV

5.     Bifurcation of the Common carotid artery defined

6.     External Carotid Artery (ECA) is identified by its branches

7.     Internal Carotid Artery (ICA) has no branch in the neck

8.     Safeguard the Hypoglossal Nerve which crosses ICA and ECA just above hyoid bone.

The 8 branches of External Carotid Artery are

·        Superior Thyroid Artery

·        Ascending Pharyngeal Artery

·        Lingual Artery

·        Facial Artery

·        Occipital Artery

·        Posterior Auricular Artery

·        Superficial Temporal Artery

·        Maxillary Artery