Internal carotid artery: blood supply to brain and eye
Quick facts
- Definition
- Artery of the neck that rises to the skull and supplies the brain and the eye.
- Difference from the external
- The external supplies the face and scalp; the internal gives off no branches in the neck.
- Key branch
- The ophthalmic artery, which arises inside the skull.
- Bridge to the face
- Branches of the ophthalmic communicate with branches of the facial artery.
- In facial harmonization
- Explains how material injected into the face can reach the eye.
The internal carotid artery rises through the neck without giving off branches, enters the skull and supplies the brain and the eye. It is separate from the external carotid, which supplies the face, mouth and scalp. This division is one of the central ideas for understanding the vascular risk in facial harmonization.
Why does it matter if the procedure is on the face?
Inside the skull, the internal carotid gives rise to the ophthalmic artery, which supplies the eye and the orbit. From it come branches that reach the skin of the forehead and nose, such as the supratrochlear, supraorbital and dorsal nasal arteries. These branches communicate with the facial artery, of the external system, through anastomoses.
| System | Origin | Territory |
|---|---|---|
| External carotid | Neck | Face, mouth, scalp |
| Internal carotid | Neck, enters the skull | Brain and eye, via the ophthalmic |
| Bridges | Anastomoses | Glabella, nose, inner corner of the eye |
What is the risk in practice?
When a product injected in a region with vascular bridges enters an artery, it can be pushed back to the eye's circulation. This is vascular occlusion, which can cause amaurosis, sudden loss of vision, and, more rarely, brain complications.
What to take into practice?
Knowing the central retinal artery and the connections described helps respect the limits of each region. The risk is low, but its severity justifies being prepared.
Also called: ICA, internal carotid artery.
Frequently asked questions
Can filler reach the internal carotid?
The risk described is not reaching the trunk of the carotid, but reaching, in a retrograde way, branches of the ophthalmic artery that communicate with the face. This mechanism is behind the cases of vision loss.