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Case Reports
. 2017 Jan-Feb;38(1):46-49.
doi: 10.11138/gchir/2017.38.1.046.

Agenesis of the internal carotid artery: a family pathology?

F M Perla, G Carbotta, D Di Nardo, M D'Avanzo, M C Colaiacomo, C Di Biasi, L Falvo, S Carbotta, A Maturo, F Tartaglia, L Tromba
Case Reports

Agenesis of the internal carotid artery: a family pathology?

F M Perla et al. G Chir. 2017 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

The internal carotid artery agenesis is a rare malformation disorder. We report the case of a 12-year-old boy suffering migraine, who had presented an episode featuring amaurosis fugax, spontaneously regressed. CT angiography images show hypoplasia of the left common carotid artery with loss of opacification of the left internal carotid artery consistent to agenesis. Moreover CT scans through the skull base demonstrate absence of left petrous carotid canal and an hypertrophic left middle cerebral artery originating from an aberrant artery arising from the right cavernous carotid. All diagnostic examinations confirmed the presence of the internal carotid artery agenesis, as Lie's type IV. We started an annual follow up that over the next 7 years did not reveal any change in magnetic resonance angiography images.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure statement

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Carotid ultrasound: note the distinct difference in size between the right common carotid artery and the left one.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
MRA: no evidence of the left ICA at the skull base.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
CT angiography scan. (A) Images show hypoplasia of the left common carotid artery with loss of opacification of the left internal carotid artery (arrow), consistent to agenesis. (B) Hypertrophic left middle cerebral artery (arrow) originating from an aberrant artery arising from the right cavernous carotid artery. Such aberrant vessel is also connected to the basilar artery via other anastomic aberrant vessels and also fills both posterior cerebral arteries. Loss opacification, for agenesis, of left A1 tract of the anterior cerebral artery with shared origin of both A2 tracts from the right A1 tract is also found.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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