The left vertebral artery arising directly from the aortic arch

Abstract

Background: Variations seen on the aortic arch can have certain implications for some clinical conditions, including when performing invasive procedures on the superior mediastinum and neck region. Methods: We herein report a variant aortic arch branching pattern observed on dissection of an 82-year-old white male whose primary cause of death was reported as cardiovascular disease. We collected 25 anatomic specimens’ (4%) during routine dissection in our anatomy laboratory. Results: The left vertebral artery directly arose from the aortic arch medial to the left subclavian artery and lateral to the left common carotid artery. In addition, the left vertebral artery had a long prevertebral course before ascending deeply to enter the transverse foramen of the cervical vertebrae at the level of the laryngeal prominence, which corresponds to the C5 vertebral level. Conclusion: In this study, we aimed to determine whether knowledge of the aberrant branching pattern of the aortic arch would be useful during cardiothoracic surgery and radiological procedures in the thoracic area.

Keywords

• Aortic arch variation
• Left vertebral artery
• Branching pattern
• Anatomical variation
• Variation prevalence