Abstract

Thyrolingual trunk (TLT), arising from the branches of the external carotid artery (ECA), is well-known to be an anatomical variation. However, TLT may rarely originate from the common carotid artery (CCA). Here, we report a 59-year-old male patient with a diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease in whom TLT arising from the left CCA was incidentally determined by three dimensional angiography performed in order to evaluate carotid stenosis and intracranial vascular structures. TLT arose from the left CCA anterior and at its point of origin, infundibular dilatation was observed. On the right side, however, superficial temporal artery STA was originated from the CCA anterior. In addition, the facial artery (FA) was absent on the left, which is a rare variation. Awareness of variations in the cervical region is of great importance for the diagnosis of the pathologies and treatment.

Key Words: Common Carotid Artery; External Carotid Artery; Thyrolingual Trunk; Multidetector Computed Tomography.