carotid bifurcation

Common

carotid artery • Arteries of the neck - Gray's anatomy illustration - Ganzer Fall bei Radiopaedia

Illustrations, G. Arteries of the neck - Gray's anatomy illustration. Case study, Radiopaedia.org. (accessed on 21 Oct 2022) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-36119 • CC by-nc-sa 3.0 (modified)

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The carotid bifurcation is the point at which the common carotid artery terminates. As it does so, it forms the internal and external carotid arteries which go on to supply the head and neck.

The height of the carotid bifurcation is noted to be highly variable in the literature. Most frequently the common carotid artery ascends until the level defined by the C4 vertebra posteriorly and upper border of thyroid cartilage anteriorly, where it enlarges into the carotid sinus before bifurcating into external and internal carotid arteries respectively.

It is closely related anatomically to the carotid body, a small group of chemoreceptors and supporting matrix that reacts to the change in the composition of the blood flowing through the bifurcation.