Variants of the common carotid artery branching patterns

Abstract

Introduction. The common carotid artery is the main source of blood supply to the head and neck regions. Its branching patterns are of great interest in terms of both anatomical and clinical significance. Variability of the common carotid artery can influence the planning of vascular, endovascular and oncological interventions in the head and neck regions, to avoid vessel injuries as well as intra-operative and postoperative complications. Material and methods. Variants of branching patterns of the common carotid artery were studied retrospectively on a sample size of 210 patients (118 males and 92 females). The mean age of patients was 63.6±13.44 years for males and 65.1±14.32 years for females (p = 0.444). Patients were examined by CT angiography, during the period 2020-2024, within the Institute of Emergency Medicine and Republican Center for Medical Diagnostics. The purpose of this article was to identify anatomical variations in the branching pattern of the CCA based on gender and laterality. Results. The most frequent variant of the CCA branching pattern, considered a normal variant, was its bifurcation, identified on the right side in 70% of cases (n = 147) and on the left side in 54% (n = 113). The trifurcation of the CCA was more common on the left side (33.3%), compared to the right side (25.7%). The origin of the superior thyroid artery from the CCA trunk was observed in 12.8% of cases on the right side and in 3.8% on the left one. A rare variant revealed in the current study was the origin of the lingual artery from the CCA trunk (0.4%). Conclusions. The branching variants of the common carotid artery are of clinical significance, particularly in surgical interventions on the neck. Knowledge of the topographic relationships of the CCA with the neighboring anatomical landmarks is essential to prevent intra-operative complications and improve the quality of surgical management.