Carotid canal the cranium, as well as the carotid plexus of nerves traveling on the artery. Sympathetics to the head from the superior cervical ganglion also pass through the carotid canal. They have several motor functions: raise the eyelid (superior tarsal muscle), dilate pupil, innervate sweat glands of face and scalp and constricts blood vessels in the head. Carotid canal The carotid canal is the passageway in the temporal bone through which the internal carotid artery enters the middle cranial fossa from the neck. The canal starts on the inferior surface of the temporal bone at the external opening of the carotid
Internal carotid artery on its lateral side is the abducent nerve, or cranial nerve VI. The named branches of the cavernous segment are: The cavernous segment also gives rise to small capsular arteries that supply the wall of the cavernous sinus. The clinoid segment, or C5, is another short segment of the internal carotid that begins after the artery exits the cavernous sinus at the proximal dural ring and extends distally to the distal dural ring, after which the carotid artery is considered "intra-dural" and has entered the subarachnoid space. The clinoid segment normally has no named branches, though the ophthalmic artery may