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

Abstract

Abstract 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. Additionally, we observed fusiform dilatation of the intracranial right vertebral artery, which might have caused these symptoms.Conclusion TFLT is an extremely rare variant that usually arises from the external carotid artery (ECA). Only one case of TFLT arising from CCA has been previously reported in the relevant English-language literature. The presence of a common trunk of the 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.