Common carotid artery vertebral artery. The common carotid artery is often used in measuring the pulse,{ especially in patients who are in shock and who lack a detectable pulse in the more peripheral arteries of the body. The pulse is taken by palpating the artery just deep to the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle at the level of the superior border of the thyroid cartilage. Presence of a carotid pulse has been estimated to indicate a systolic blood pressure of more than 40 mmHg, as given by the 50% percentile. Carotidynia is a syndrome marked by soreness of the carotid artery near
Carotid sheath the pretracheal fascia, and the prevertebral fascia. The cervical part of the sympathetic trunk is embedded in prevertebral fascia immediately posterior to the sheath. Carotid sheath The carotid sheath is an anatomical term for the fibrous connective tissue that surrounds the vascular compartment of the neck. It is part of the deep cervical fascia of the neck, below the superficial cervical fascia meaning the subcutaneous adipose tissue immediately beneath the skin. The deep cervical fascia of the neck includes four parts: The carotid sheath is located at the lateral boundary of the retropharyngeal space at the level of the oropharynx