[A case of the thyroidea ima artery arising from the aortic arch]

The present report describes a case of the thyroidea ima artery observed in a 65-year-old Japanese male on dissection in 1988. The thyroidea ima artery arose from the aortic arch between the branchiocephalic trunk and the left common carotid artery. The thyroidea ima passed to the left lobe and isthmus of the thyroid gland for the supply of these. The inferior thyroid artery on the right side was of common type in its origin and course, though that on the left side was absent. Either of the superior thyroid arteries arose from the common carotid artery.