Variant arterial supply of thyroid gland

Abstract

The thyroid gland is a highly vascular gland placed anteriorly in the neck and is supplied by the superior thyroid artery (STA), inferior thyroid artery (ITA), and sometimes the thyroidea ima artery. During the routine dissection for undergraduate students, variations in the arterial supply of thyroid gland were observed. The thyroid gland showed a lobulated appearance. On the left side, STA was found to be absent. However, two ITA were observed on the same side. These supplied the gland from its posterior surface. The knowledge of variations in vascularity of the thyroid gland is important in procedures such as emergency cricothyroidectomy, radical neck dissection, catheterization, reconstruction of aneurysms, and carotid endarterectomy.

Keywords

• Absent superior thyroid artery
• accessory inferior thyroid artery
• thyroid Gland