Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2006 May;27(5):1155-6.

Left vertebral artery origin from the thyrocervical trunk: a unique vascular variant

W M Strub  1 , J L Leach, T A Tomsick
Affiliations
Case Reports

Left vertebral artery origin from the thyrocervical trunk: a unique vascular variant

W M Strub et al. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2006 May.

Abstract

The vertebral artery normally arises from the subclavian artery, and variations in its origin have been described. We describe a unique case of the left vertebral artery arising from the thyrocervical trunk.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1.
Fig 1.
A, Oblique, volume-rendered CT angiogram projection. Note the left vertebral artery arising directly from the thyrocervical trunk and extending cephalad outside of the transverse foramina of the vertebral bodies (arrows). The suprascapular artery is noted arising directly from this vessel in the lower neck (arrowhead). B, Posterior, volume-rendered CT angiogram projection. There has been a decompressive occipital craniectomy, and resection of the posterior arch of C1. The left vertebral artery is well seen continuing intracranially (arrows).
Fig 2.
Fig 2.
A, Axial image of the cervical spine at C4 in bone algorithm. Note the absence of the foramen transversarium on the left (arrow). B, Axial image of the cervical spine at C4 in soft tissue algorithm showing the course of the left vertebral artery (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chiras J, Launay C, Gaston A, et al. Thoracic vertebral artery. Neuroradiology 1982;24:67–70 - PubMed
    1. Koenigsberg R, Pereira L, Nair B, et al. Unusual vertebral artery origins : examples and related pathology. Cath Cardiovasc Interv 2003;59:244–50 - PubMed
    1. Luh G, Dean B, Tomsick T, et al. The persistent fetal carotid-vertebrobasilar anastomoses. AJR Am J Roentgenol 1999;172:1427–32 - PubMed
    1. Anderson R, Sondheimer F. Rare carotid-vertebrobasilar anastomoses with notes on the differentiation between proatlantal and hypoglossal arteries. Neuroradiology 1976;11:113–18 - PubMed
    1. Yamazaki M, Koda M, Yoneda M, et al. Anomalous vertebral artery at the craniovertebral junction in a patient with Down syndrome. J Neurosurg Spine 2004;3:338–41 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources