Bilateral abnormal origin of the anterior branches of the external carotid artery

Abstract

Background: Description of a rare variation is provided alongside with a review of the literature with special references to anatomic, embryologic, and clinical issues it may create.

Methods: This was a cadaveric dissection conducted during a pregraduate anatomy course that is accompanied by short review of the literature and critical appraisal.

Results: During dissection of the neck region of a male cadaver, the superior thyroid artery occurred from the common carotid artery bilaterally and the lingual artery occurred from the carotid bifurcation on the left side.

Conclusions: Superior thyroid artery originating from common carotid artery or carotid bifurcation is a common variation, but the lingual artery originating from the common carotid artery or carotid bifurcation is very rare (<1%). Its existence can have a significant impact on treatment success and potentially lead to errors during interventions at the neck region. A high level of suspicion is required.