Abstract
In most cases, the superior laryngeal artery (SLA) branches from the superior thyroid artery, which, in turn, leaves the external carotid artery. Few dissection studies found previously that the SLA could originate from the lingual artery. We report here probably the first evidence of such a rare anatomical variation found unilaterally in a retrospectively evaluated by computed tomography angiography adult male case. The left SLA left a suprahyoid coil of the lingual artery and continued over the greater hyoid horn to enter the larynx through the thyrohyoid membrane. On both sides, thyroid foramina were found, but only the right one used for the entry of the right SLA. Therefore, the rare SLA origin from the lingual artery can be documented on computed tomography angiograms, which could help during preoperative evaluations and prevent unwanted surgical complications.
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The datasets used and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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MCR: protocol/project development, data analysis, documented specific literature, approved the final version of the manuscript. CCD: data analysis, contributed discussion. ADV: data analysis, reviewed the literature, reviewed the manuscript.
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The research was conducted ethically following The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki). The responsible authorities (affiliation 3) approved the study (approval no.10540/16.02.2022).
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Rusu, M.C., Dumitru, C.C. & Vrapciu, A.D. Superior laryngeal artery originating from the lingual artery. Surg Radiol Anat (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-024-03314-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-024-03314-z