[Relation of the external carotid artery to the parotid gland (author's transl)].

The relation of the external carotid artery to the parotid gland is differently described by various authors. Publications on topographical anatomy predominantly state that the artery takes its course "through the gland". In contrast to this, however, oto-rhinolaryngological publications tend to emphasize a rather loose spatial relation of the artery to the medial surface of the gland as being typical although, in general, little attention is being paid from the operative and technical point of view to the position of the artery in relation to the gland. Our own anatomical dissections in dead bodies have shown that in a number of instances the artery and its branches are extensively surrounded by glandular tissue. With approximately equal frequency, however, the artery was found to lie in a more or less superficial groove on the medial surface of the gland.