Internal carotid arises at the bifurcation of the common carotid between C3 and C5 vertebral level. It has no branches outside the skulls and passes straight up in the carotid sheath, beside the pharynx to the carotid canal in the base of the skull. Relations: posterior: sympathetic trunk, superior laryngeal branch of the vagus medial: ascending pharyngeal artery lateral: internal jugular vein and vagus nerve anterior: lower down by lingual and facial veins, the occipital artery and hypoglossal