Ultrasonographic, CTI and MRI of Aberrant Internal Carotid Artery: Infrequent but Important to Know

This article describes the aberrant course of the internal carotid artery (ICA) through the middle ear as an extremely rare vascular anomaly. On the basis of a case report, the findings of magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography imaging, and especially color-coded duplex sonography are presented. The diagnosis of an aberrant ICA is important to avoid severe surgical complications of a retrotympanic mass as well as unnecessary diagnostic or therapeutic approaches in expectation of a stroke.