Abstract
It is recognized that the branches of the external carotid artery (ECA) can show variation, but the presence of a thyrolinguofacial trunk is extremely rare and always originates from the ECA. We report a case of the thyrolinguofacial trunk arising from the carotid bifurcation (CB) on the left side in a 76-year-old man with advanced tongue cancer, as revealed by three-dimensional computed tomography angiography for vascular mapping of the carotid vessels prior to superselective intra-arterial catheterization. The thyrolinguofacial trunk arose 1.6 mm below the CB from the anterior surface of the left CB. The inner diameter of the thyrolinguofacial trunk at origin was 4.4 mm and the angle between the thyrolinguofacial trunk and CB was 128°. After a 1.7-mm course, the trunk divided into the superior thyroid artery and a linguofacial trunk, the inner diameters of which were 1.5 and 3.4 mm, respectively, at origin. The angle between the two arteries was 88°. After a 9.8-mm course from the bifurcation, the linguofacial trunk divided into the lingual artery and facial artery, the inner diameters of which were 1.8 and 1.9 mm, respectively, at origin. The angle between the two arteries was 61°. It is important to recognize such an anatomic variation of the branches of the ECA prior to superselective intra-arterial catheterization or microsurgical reconstruction for head and neck cancer.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Iwai T, Izumi T, Inoue T, Maegawa J, Fuwa N, Mitsudo K, Tohnai I (2012) Thyrolingual trunk arising from the common carotid artery identified by three-dimensional computed tomography angiography. Surg Radiol Anat 34:85–88
Lemaire V, Jacquemin G, Medot M, Fissette J (2001) Thyrolingual trunk arising from the common carotid artery: a case report. Surg Radiol Anat 23:135–137
Lemaire V, Jacquemin G, Nelissen X, Heymans O (2005) Tip of the greater horn of the hyoid bone: a landmark for cervical surgery. Surg Radiol Anat 27:33–36
Lippert H, Pabst R (1985) Arterial variations in man. Classification and frequency. JF Bergmann, München
Lucev N, Bobinac D, Maric I, Drescik I (2000) Variations of the great arteries in the carotid triangle. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 122:590–591
Natsis K, Raikos A, Foundos I, Noussios G, lazaridis N, Njau SN (2011) Superior thyroid artery origin in Caucasian Greeks: a new classification proposal and review of the literature. Clin Anat 24:699–705
Quain R (1844) The anatomy of the arteries of the human body and its application to pathology and operative surgery. Taylor and Walton, London
Toni R, Della Casa C, Castirina S, Malaguti A, Mosca S, Roti E, Valenti G (2004) A meta-analysis of superior thyroid artery variations in different human groups and their clinical implications. Ann Anat 186:255–262
Troupis TG, Dimitroulis D, Paraschos A, Michalinos A, Protogerou V, Vlasis K, Troupis G, Skandalakis P (2011) Lingual and facial arteries arising from the external carotid artery in a common trunk. Am Surg 77:151–154
Vázquez T, Cobiella R, Maranillo E, Valderrama FJ, McHanwell S, Parkin I, Sañudo JR (2009) Anatomical variations of the superior thyroid and superior laryngeal arteries. Head Neck 31:1078–1085
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Iwai, T., Izumi, T., Inoue, T. et al. Thyrolinguofacial trunk arising from the carotid bifurcation determined by three-dimensional computed tomography angiography. Surg Radiol Anat 35, 75–78 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-012-1004-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-012-1004-1