Artery of pterygoid canal

Looks like

A thin artery running backwards through a bony canal at the base of the skull (vidian artery), from the maxillary artery.

What it does

Supplies the upper throat, ear tube and nearby lining.

Keeping it well

Can feed nasal tumours in young men (angiofibroma); a landmark in endoscopic skull-base surgery.

Related conditions

• Carotid artery stenosis
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Hypothermia & frostbite
• Kawasaki disease
• Metabolic syndrome
• Orthostatic hypotension & POTS
• Peripheral artery disease
• Phaeochromocytoma & hyperaldosteronism
• Pre-eclampsia
• Raynaud's phenomenon
• Sepsis
• Shock (circulatory failure)
• Takayasu arteritis
• Vasculitis (GCA & others)