The frequency of the thyrolingual arterial trunk originating from the carotid arterial system

Abstract

Introduction A comprehensive understanding of the standard anatomy and variations of the carotid arteries and their branches is crucial for surgeons and interventional radiologists. As such, we tracked the frequency of thyrolingual trunk in relation to sex and the bilateral aspects of the body (right and left), our findings were juxtaposed with existing data in the literature. Material and methods Our study involved the examination of 349 arteries. We identified the presence of the thyrolingual trunk in 22 instances, specifically 12 right arteries (6.63% of right arteries) and 10 left arteries (5.95% of left arteries). Results In fourteen instances (63.64%), the thyrolingual trunk originated from the external carotid artery; in five instances (22.73%), the trunk originated from the common carotid artery; and in three instances (13.64%), the thyrolingual trunk originated at the level of the bifurcation of the carotid artery. Conclusions We observed considerable variability in the frequency of the thyrolingual trunk as reported in the consulted literature, which results, sometimes, in significant discrepancies between our findings and those reported by other authors. Furthermore, we identified differences based on side (right/left) and sex, while comparisons of the literature indicate that there are also variations associated with ethnicity and geographic region of study.