The carotid triangle is outlined by the superior belly of the omohyoid muscle anteroinferiorly, the stylohyoid muscle and posterior belly of the digastric superiorly, and the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle posteriorly.
Each of these triangles contains numerous structures that can be identified as being within a specific triangle, passing into a specific triangle from outside the area, originating in one triangle and passing to another triangle, or passing through several triangles while passing through the region.