Thyrolinguofacial trunk arising from the carotid bifurcation determined by cadaver dissection

Knowledge of the arterial variations in the neck region may be of great importance in the diagnosis and treatment of cervical and maxillofacial pathologies. We report on a male cadaver found to have a superior thyroid, lingual and facial artery arising with a common trunk from the relatively high carotid bifurcation on the right side. After branching off the superior thyroid artery, the linguofacial trunk divided in the submandibular region into the lingual and the facial artery. The embryogenesis of such a combination of anomalies is not clear, but the anatomic consequences may have important clinical implications for radiologic examinations and surgical procedures in the regions of the head and neck.