Anomalous branch of the left common carotid artery

A previously unreported anomalous branch of the left common carotid artery (LCCA) was observed during dissection at the Zagreb Medical School. The anomalous branch arose from the anterior surface of the LCCA approximately 2 cm superior to the aortic arch, and subsequently bifurcated into a right and left branch. We describe its anatomic features. Clinical implications are also discussed.     

Trifurcation of the left common carotid artery: a case report

During dissection of the carotid triangle, a carotid trifurcation was encountered. The left common carotid artery gave off three terminal branches: external carotid, internal carotid, and occipital arteries. The level of trifurcation was 35 mm above the superior margin of the thyroid cartilage. Further, the superior thyroid artery arose from the common carotid artery instead of the external carotid. Herein, we describe the detailed anatomical features of the variant branching pattern of the left common carotid artery and its clinical implications.     

Concurrence of the tortuosity of bilateral common and left internal carotid arteries in a case with common origin of the innominate trunk and left common carotid artery

Anatomical variations of carotid arterial system, which are not infrequently encountered, have great impact on the surgical approaches of the neck. Although few reports on common carotid artery tortuosity have been published, no case of symptomatic concurrent common carotid and internal carotid artery tortuosity has been reported. Herein, we report the first case with concurrent common origin of the innominate trunk and left common carotid artery and common and internal carotid artery tortuosity presenting with an oropharyngeal mass.     

头臂干缺如及左右颈总动脉共干1例

在制作1成年女性标本时,见头臂干缺如,且左右颈总动脉共干(图1),此变异较罕见[1],现报道如下: 该例主动脉弓自右向左发出:左右颈总动脉共干支(起始外径13.58 mm下同)、左锁骨下动脉(5.60 mm)、右锁骨下动脉(6.94 mm).在平对第3胸椎中份,左右颈总动脉共干支于主动脉弓凸侧发出,走行0.83 cm后分为左颈总动脉(4.72mm)和右颈总动脉(4.80mm),两者夹角为59°.     

Variation of the origin of the left common carotid artery diagnosed by CT angiography

Introduction

The left common carotid artery (LCCA) is usually a second branch of the aortic arch that arises between the brachiocephalic trunk (BCT) and left subclavian artery; relatively frequently, it also arises from or shares a common origin with the BCT. In patients with LCCA of anomalous origin, transfemoral catheterization into the LCCA is sometimes difficult, and transbrachial or transradial approach may be recommended. We evaluated the prevalence of these variations on computed tomography (CT) angiography.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed CT angiographic images of 2,357 patients obtained using either of two 64-slice multidetector CT scanners. All patients were Japanese and underwent scanning from the aortic arch to the intracranial region; most had or were suspected of having cerebrovascular diseases.

Results

We evaluated CT angiographic images of 2,352 patients after excluding four patients with LCCA occluded at its origin. The LCCA arose from the BCT in 141 patients (6.0 %) and had a common origin with the BCT in 130 patients (5.5 %). We found 11 aberrant right subclavian artery (0.47 %), and four of the 11 patients (36 %) had LCCA of common origin with the right common carotid artery, forming a bicarotid trunk (prevalence: 0.17 %).

Conclusions

The total prevalence of variations of LCCA origin diagnosed by CT angiography was 11.7 %.     

Absence of the right common carotid artery

In a 33-year-old male patient with multiple sclerosis, brain magnetic resonance imaging incidentally showed a narrow right intracranial internal carotid artery. Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography showed absence of the right common carotid artery. Right external and internal carotid arteries arose separately from the ipsilateral innominate artery and subclavian artery, respectively. Color-Doppler ultrasound confirmed this finding. Embriologically, the case could be interpreted as the disappearance of the third aortic arch with persistence of the carotid duct connecting the third and fourth aortic arches.     

食管后右锁骨下动脉伴左右颈总动脉共干1例

作者在局部解剖教学中,发现1例食管后右锁骨下动脉伴左右颈总动脉共干起始的异常，此种变异罕见（图1）,现报道如下：     

颈总动脉及其分支与锁骨下动脉异常4例

<正>在教学中发现颈总动脉及其分支与锁骨下动脉走行异常。例1:中年男尸,右侧颈内动脉在起始处返折,呈横置的"U"字形,舌动脉与面动脉共干发自颈外动脉,舌动脉在面动脉的下方,先向后上再向前下螺旋走行,最后斜上走行,整体呈"V"字形。面动脉自舌动脉下方发出后绕经舌动脉的前面向后上方行走。颈总动脉上部和颈内动脉在颈动脉鞘内位于颈内静脉的前方(图1a)。颈总动脉中段与颈内静脉呈内外平行走行,颈总动脉下部位于颈内静脉后方,颈动脉小球位于颈外动脉后方(图1b)。     

左颈总动脉-左锁骨下动脉转流技术在胸主动脉腔内修复术中的临床应用

目的 探讨左颈总动脉（LCCA）-左锁骨下动脉（LSA）转流技术在胸主动脉腔内修复术（TEVAR）治疗胸主动脉疾病中的应用效果。方法 回顾性研究。纳入2016年1月—2019年12月南京鼓楼医院心胸外科胸主动脉疾病患者83例,其中男76例、女7例,年龄27~82（55.3±12.0）岁。B型主动脉夹层71例,胸主动脉瘤2例,主动脉溃疡5例,主动脉壁间血肿5例。83例患者行一期LCCA-LSA转流术+TEVAR治疗。观察手术时间、支架放置数量、术中行LSA弹簧圈栓塞情况;围手术期内观察患者死亡、脑梗死发生情况、再手术率及再手术原因;出院后随访期间,观察患者的死亡率、脑梗死发生率,复查主动脉CTA观察转流血管通畅情况、弓部分支血管血供情况以及有无支架移位。结果 83例患者均成功重建LSA。手术时间1.0~7.0（3.2±1.0） h。术中置入胸主动脉支架1个64例、2个17例、3个2例。4例患者出现LSA根部对比剂渗漏,予弹簧圈栓塞后渗漏消失。围手术期内无患者死亡。2例（2.4%,2/83）患者再次手术治疗,其中1例LCCA部分遮盖、1例主动脉逆撕A型夹层,均予相应处理后恢复正常。1例（1.2%,1/83）患者术后出现一过性脑梗死伴左侧肢体肌力一过性下降,保守治疗后好转出院。83例患者术后随访8~46个月,平均25.3个月。随访期间,5例（6.0%,5/83）患者死亡;3例（3.6%,3/83）患者出现脑梗死,保守治疗后好转;主动脉CTA显示,转流血管通畅,弓部分支血管血供良好,无支架移位。结论 LCCA-LSA转流技术重建LSA,可以延长胸主动脉病变近端锚定区,是治疗胸主动脉疾病安全有效的手术方法,可获得良好的近期疗效。     

喉罩对颈总动脉和颈内动脉血流动力学的影响

目的 研究喉罩对颈总动脉(CCA)和颈内动脉(ICA)内径、血流速率和血流量等血流动力学参数的影响.方法 随机选择择期全麻下行腹腔镜胆囊切除术患者60例,为美国麻醉医师协会(ASA)Ⅰ～Ⅲ级.根据不同年龄分为中青年组(A组,20～59岁)和老年组(B组,60～85岁).按不同的喉罩套囊内压力将A组和B组分为4个亚组,即A1、B1(套囊内压为20～30 cm H2O)(1 cm H2O=0.098 kPa)和A2、B2(套囊内压为40～50 cm H2O),每组15例.所有患者术毕后送入ICU复苏,尚未清醒时拔除气管导管,而后置入喉罩.记录置入喉罩前(T0),置入喉罩后3 min(T1)、10 min(T2)和拔除喉罩后(T3)各时点CCA和ICA的内径、血流速率和血流量等血流动力学参数以及生命体征参数.结果 CCA、ICA的内径和CCA血流量的基础值B组比A组要大(P<0.05).与T0比较,在T1和T2时点,A组和B组CCA内径分别减少9.5%～12.9%和14.5%～24.3%(P<0.05或P<0.01),其中以B2组减少最为显著,A2组和B2组ICA内径分别减少10.9%和16.3%(P<0.05).CCA和ICA的血流速率无明显变化(P>0.05).与T0比较,A组和B组,T1和T2时CCA的血流量分别减少9.3%～10.7%和12.2%～19.1%(P<0.05),其中以B2组减少最为显著,A组和B组ICA血流量分别减少10.0%～13.5%和13.9%～16.6%(P<0.05).在T3时点各观察指标均恢复至T0水平.结论 喉罩通气时,CCA和ICA的内径有所缩小,其血流量相应减少,老年患者减少更为明显,而其血流速率则无明显改变.     

Complex structure of the common carotid artery of sheep

Background: Mechanical properties of blood vessels are dictated by the vessel wall structure. In many large conduit vessels the tunica media is a sheath of circular musculature and the tunica adventitia a layer of fibrous connective tissue with limited longitudinal extensibility. In contrast, the carotid artery of the sheep displays in each tunica a more complex architecture of muscle and connective tissue. Methods: Vessels collected from ewes were measured and processed for light microscopy and for transmission electron microscopy. Results: Layers of histologically different materials are found within the tunica intima, media and adventitia. (1) The tunica media is made of circumferentially arranged muscle cells markedly different at different depths. In the innermost third of the media. muscle cells are small and with irregular profiles, the cells are widely separated, and the extracellular material is abundant and composed mainly of elastic fibres. In the outermost third, muscle cells are larger and with more regular profiles, the cells are relatively close to each other and the extracellular material is sparse and consists mainly of collagen fibrils. (2) A small number of fibroblasts is found in all parts of the media amongst the preponderant muscle cells. (3) The intima contains fibroblast-like cells and longitudinally arranged muscle cells. (4) The adventitia contains a thick layer of collagen and elastic fibres; external to this, it displays a conspicuous musculature, made of large bundles of longitudinal muscle. Conclusions: The carotid artery of the sheep presents in all three coats of its wall features which are at variance from those in the better known vessels of small laboratory animals. The presence of many layers of material within the wall, the heterogeneity of the tissues found, and the occurrence of an extensive longitudinal musculature, have important effects on the mechanical properties of the vessel. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

The common hepatic artery arising from the left gastric artery

We report three cases with a rare anatomic variation, in which the common hepatic artery (CHA) arose from the left gastric artery. Fewer than ten cases with this anatomic variation have been published in the literature consulted. In each patient, multidetector-row CT image with 3D reformation demonstrated that the hepatic artery arises from the left gastric artery and runs through the lesser omentum. The left, middle, and right hepatic arteries derived from this artery, and no other arterial supply to the liver was seen. The course of the gastroduodenal artery was variable; it derived from the CHA, the splenic artery, or both. No variation was noted in the splenic artery and the superior mesenteric artery.     

Anomalous thymic branch of the right common carotid artery

A previously unreported anomalous thymic artery that branched from the anterior aspect of right common carotid artery approximately 1 cm above bifurcation of the brachiocephalic artery was found during routine dissection. It traveled inferiorly through a plexus of inferior thyroid veins for 6 cm in front of the brachiocephalic artery and crossed the anterior surface of the trachea where it divided into two branches that supplied the right and left lobes of the thymus. The development and blood supply of the thymus and their clinical anatomy are reviewed. Clin. Anat. 11:346–348, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Collagen fibril diameter in the common carotid artery of the rat

The diameter of collagen fibrils has been measured in electron micrographs of the tunica media and adventitia of the common carotid artery of 14 rats (19,262 counts). The fibrils of the media were measured in each of its three interlamellar spaces. The mean fibril diameters in the innermost space and the middle space are not different (29.7 and 30.7 nm). However, the diameter of the fibrils is larger in the outermost space of the media than in the inner two spaces. With a diameter of 37.4 nm, the difference from the other medial spaces is highly significant. The adventitial fibril diameter of 66.1 nm is significantly different from the values for any of the medial spaces. The only cells present in all three spaces of the tunica media of the rat common carotid artery are smooth muscle cells, which presumably synthesize similar procollagen throughout the media. The larger diameter collagen fibrils of the outer interlamellar space may be an adaptation to greater mechanical stress in the outer media, or possibly the activity of the fibroblasts in the adjoining adventitia may affect fibril growth in this space of the media.