Thyrolinguofacial trunk arising from the common carotid artery and diagnosed by computed tomography angiography.

PURPOSE: Various variations in the head and neck vasculature have been reported. The purpose of this report is to describe an extremely rare case of thyrolinguofacial trunk (TLFT) arising from the common carotid artery (CCA). METHODS: A 66-year-old woman with vertigo, dizziness, and heaviness in the head underwent computed tomography (CT) angiography of the neck and head region for evaluation of cerebrovascular diseases. RESULTS: The TLFT originated from the anterior wall of the right CCA and was divided into the superior thyroid artery and linguofacial trunk (LFT). The LFT was divided into lingual and facial arteries. In addition, we observed fusiform dilatation of the intracranial right vertebral artery, which might have caused these symptoms. CONCLUSION: The presence of a common trunk of the external carotid artery (ECA) branches increases the risk of complications such as bleeding and ischemia during treatment of the head and neck region, including chemoradiotherapy for oral bleeding and tongue cancer. Therefore, this is an area of significant interest across various medical specialties, including surgery, otolaryngology, and radiology. Understanding the diverse variations in the neck vasculature is expected to lead to a reduction in complications associated with various procedures.

Anomalous innominate artery complicating tracheal surgical procedures.

OBJECTIVE: To highlight the importance of imaging in reducing an accidental injury to the anomalous brachiocephalic trunk and its branches during tracheal surgery. CASE REPORT: This paper reports two cases of accidental injury to the great vessels in the neck during tracheal surgery. The first incident occurred during a repeat tracheostomy, when the right common carotid artery was injured. On reviewing the computed tomography images, the bifurcation of the brachiocephalic artery was seen to the left of the midline, and the right common carotid artery was adherent just below the tracheostomy site. The second incident happened during surgery for tracheal stenosis, when there was an inadvertent injury to the main brachiocephalic trunk, which was adherent to the trachea in the lower neck region. CONCLUSION: For airway surgeons, radiological assessment of vascular structures in relation to the trachea prior to surgery is as important as the endoluminal airway assessment for the best outcome.

Separate arch origin of the left external carotid artery with common trunk giving rise to the left internal carotid artery and left subclavian artery.

We present a case of a 3-year-old boy with tetralogy of Fallot having the direct origin of the left external carotid artery from the aorta with a common trunk giving rise to the left internal carotid artery and left subclavian artery, in a right-sided aortic arch. We also highlight the potential implications in management.

Successfully Kissing Stent of Innominate Artery and Left Common Carotid Artery Subsequent to Blunt Injury, in the Setting of a Bovine Aortic Arch.

Blunt injuries of the great vessels arising from the aortic arch are usually fatal. The innominate artery lesions represent the most common site of injury after the aortic isthmus distal to the left subclavian artery. Injuries are usually located at the origin of the vessel from the aortic arch, especially in patients with bovine aortic arch. Open traditional repair is a successful but invasive treatment, with long hospital stay and different possible complications. Although a bovine aortic arch presents an increased technical challenge, it is possible to achieve a complete and safe repair of the innominate artery injuries through a total endovascular treatment, with important reduction of risks and complications related to operation, compared to traditional open repair. We report the case of a 62-year-old man in our hospital with a posttraumatic pseudoaneurysm of the innominate artery in the setting of a bovine aortic arch, associated with a transection of the descending thoracic aorta. In the urgent setting, the patient was submitted to a kissing stent of innominate artery-left common carotid artery and deployment of thoracic endoprosthesis to exclude the aortic transection, with good final result.

Right coronary artery to left carotid artery collateral in the absence of stenosis.

Anomalies as well as variations of vascular structures are widely diagnosed with today's advanced diagnostic tools and healthcare screening programs. Collateral formation is a well known phenomenon in the presence of stenosis or occlusion to provide blood flow to the distal vasculature. In this report, we present the image of a collateral between the left common carotid artery and right coronary artery in the absence of significant stenosis.

Abnormal positioning of the common carotid artery clinically diagnosed as a submandibular mass.

The common carotid artery (CCA) usually runs along the long axis of the neck, although it is occasionally found in an abnormal position or is displaced. We report a case of an 86-year-old woman in whom the CCA was identified in the submandibular area. The patient visited our clinic and reported soft tissue swelling in the right submandibular area. It resembled a tumor mass or a swollen lymph node. Computed tomography showed that it was the right CCA that had been bent forward and was running along the submandibular subcutaneous area. Ultrasonography verified the diagnosis. No other lesions were found on the diagnostic images. Consequently, the patient was diagnosed as having abnormal CCA positioning. Although this condition generally requires no treatment, it is important to follow-up the abnormality with diagnostic imaging because of the risk of cerebrovascular disorders.

Isolated anomalous origin of the vertebral artery from the common carotid artery.

Anomalous origins of the vertebral arteries are uncommon and typically associated with other abnormalities of the great vessels. We present a case of an isolated origin of the right vertebral artery from the ipsilateral common carotid artery detected using magnetic resonance angiography. Such variants can significantly affect endovascular and surgical planning.

Multiple anomalies in the origin and course of vertebral arteries and aberrant right subclavian artery in a child with moyamoya syndrome.

Here we report, for the first time, a combination of five-vessel aortic arch, anomalous origin of the right vertebral artery (VA) from the common carotid artery (CCA), an aberrant right subclavian artery (SCA), and bilateral symmetrical segmental agenesis of VAs.In this case report, we present a patient with moyamoya syndrome (MMS) and Down syndrome (DS) who has bilateral symmetrical segmental agenesis of VAs, left VA originating from aortic arch and anomalous origin of right VA arising from CCA in combination with an aberrant right SCA. Therefore, five vessels are originating from aortic arch. Here, we report, for the first time, a combination of five-vessel aortic arch with an aberrant right SCA and symmetrical segmental agenesis of both VAs. The possible embryological mechanisms of the anomalies as well as an relation with MMS and DS are discussed.

A unique variation with five branches of the aortic arch.

Here, we present a unique case with 5 branches of the aortic arch (AA), namely the right common carotid artery, left common carotid artery, left thyrocervical trunk, left subclavian artery and right subclavian artery (RSA), from right to left. We found that the left thyrocervical trunk originated directly from the AA rather than the left subclavian artery. In addition, the RSA arose dorsally as the last branch of the AA and passed posteriorly to the oesophagus to supply the right upper limb. In addition, the right vertebral artery originated from the right common carotid artery instead of the RSA. Despite numerous studies on AA variations, to our knowledge, this is the first case of the left thyrocervical trunk originating directly from the AA and the RSA arising dorsally as the last branch of a 5-branch AA. Our case provides useful information to anatomists, radiologists and neck and thoracic surgeons.

Intrathyroidal carotid artery and nonrecurring right recurrent laryngeal nerve: A case report.

BACKGROUND: When performing thyroidectomy, knowledge of normal anatomy and variants is vital to avoid injuring nearby structures. Typically, the bilateral carotids course posterolateral to the thyroid gland. We describe a rare variant of an intrathyroidal carotid artery, not previously described in the literature. METHODS: A 23-year-old woman with a strong family history of thyroid cancer presented with a left thyroid nodule, and a fine-needle aspiration biopsy revealing papillary thyroid carcinoma. She underwent total thyroidectomy. RESULTS: Intraoperatively, the carotid was found coursing centrally through the right lobe parenchyma, associated with an ipsilateral nonrecurrent recurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN) entering the cricothyroid joint superolaterally. CONCLUSION: This is, to our knowledge, the first report of such an anatomic variant in the medical literature. Aberrant carotid artery anatomy may potentially cause life-threatening surgical complications and should be considered preoperatively. Furthermore, recognition of concurrent recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) anomalies with vascular variations allows identification of nonrecurrent nerves.

Surgical Management of Congenital Arteriovenous Fistula near Lateral Cranial Base.

An arteriovenous fistula is an aberrant communication between an artery and a vein. Here is a case in which risk factors including multiple fistulae, dangerous location, and high-flow blood occurred simultaneously. The patient is a 13-year-old boy diagnosed with bilateral arteriovenous fistulae between the jugular vein and carotid artery separately, with cardiac dilatation and pulmonary artery hypertension. We performed right arteriovenous fistulae resection, ligated the involved small vessels, and tightened the internal jugular vein. The tiny left arteriovenous fistulae were treated with transarterial embolism. The blood flow bruit and swelling of his neck completely disappeared, with clear improvement of his life quality, the pulmonary artery pressure has dropped from 54 mmHg to 39 mmHg. Surgery is one of the main therapies of arteriovenous fistula currently, we need to make a balance between good effect and low risk, aiming at early treatment to avoid serious complications.

Two Rare Variants of Left Vertebral Artery.

Though the variations of vertebral artery are clinically asymptomatic yet abnormalities are of diagnostic importance either prior to vascular surgery in the neck region or in patients of intravascular diseases such as arteriovenous malformations or cerebral aneurysms. Therefore, the aim of the study is to bring out 2 variations in the configuration of vertebral artery and their clinical implication. During dissection of thorax of 2 female cadavers, 2 different variants of configurations of left vertebral arteries were observed. In 1 patient, the left vertebral artery arose aberrantly from arch of aorta between left common carotid artery and left subclavian artery. This artery then, following oblique course, abnormally entered into foramen transversarium of C4 vertebra. In the second patient, the left common stump emerged from arch of aorta in the left side of left common carotid artery and then instantly bifurcated into vertebral artery and subclavian artery. Then following the usual oblique course, the left vertebral artery anomalously entered into foramen transversarium of C3 vertebra at the level of upper border of thyroid cartilage. The knowledge of these rare variations in the origin of vertebral artery is of paramount importance to surgeons performing surgery in neck region, radiologist performing angiography to avoid misinterpretation of radiographs and to anatomists for rare variations in academics and research.

A rare case of absent left common carotid artery with bovine origin of the left external carotid artery.

A 22-year-old man had cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and his angiogram incidentally revealed an absent left common carotid artery with bovine origin of the left external carotid artery. There was also an associated low bifurcation of the right common carotid artery and basilar artery fenestration. The absence of a common carotid artery is a very rare angiographic finding, and an association with a bovine origin of the left external carotid artery has not been reported previously in the literature. Here we provide a description of the case along with a review of the literature and embryology.

A rare arterial branch distributing to the thymus, ectopic intrathymic parathyroid, and thyroid glands which passed ventral to the right common carotid artery: a case report.

The intrathymic parathyroid has been reported that this variation might be related with the hyperthyroidism. In this study, the arterial pattern supplying the intrathymic parathyroid was examined in detail in the human cadaver (67-year-old, female, right side). The ectopic parathyroid was only detected on the right side, but not on the left side. This ectopic intrathymic parathyroid was supplied by the supernumerary arterial branch that originated from the inferior thyroid artery and passed ventral to the common carotid artery. This supernumerary branch further divided into two thin branches: (1) the one distributing the intrathymic parathyroid and the right lobe of the thyroid gland and (2) the other descending toward the thoracic cavity to supply the mediastinum organs. Other arteries supplying the thyroid gland and thymus of both sides were normal. In the surgical resection of the ectopic intrathymic parathyroid, physicians should pay attention to arteries ventral to the common carotid artery. This supernumerary branch distributing to the intrathymic parathyroid may be caused by incomplete division into the primordium for the inferior parathyroid and the primordium for the thymus on the developmental process.

Challenges in the management of massive intraorbital and hemifacial arteriovenous malformation as causing life-threatening epistaxis.

Arteriovenous malformations are congenital lesions that may evolve with time and manifest in a plethora of presentations. They can occur as torrential epistaxis when it extensively involves the facial region. Multi-imaging modalities are available to assist in characterizing the structure of the lesion as well as its location and extent. This complex disease requires a multidisciplinary team approach with preoperative embolization and surgery. We present a rare cause of life-threatening epistaxis in a gentleman with a longstanding orbital and hemifacial arteriovenous malformation and discuss the complexities involved in its management.

Three Rare Anomalies of the Large Vessels in an Infant with Tetralogy of Fallot.

Isolated left subclavian artery (LSA) from the pulmonary artery (PA) is a very rare vascular anomaly. We report a case of abnormal origin of the LSA from the PA via a very large ductus arteriosus (DA) in association with a rare communication between the left common carotid artery (LCCA) and the LSA in a patient with tetralogy of Fallot. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12770 (J Card Surg 2016;31:461-463).

Mediastinoscopy-assisted Treatment of an Aberrant Right Subclavian Artery.

Aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA) is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by the origin of the right subclavian artery from the aortic arch distally to the left subclavian artery. We describe the case of a young patient with symptomatic ARSA treated by mediastinoscopy-assisted ligation at its origin and subclavian-carotid transposition.