Aberrant origin of vertebral artery; a case report

Abstract

The vertebral arteries (VA) are important arteries of the neck, which typically originate from the posterosuperior of the first part of subclavian artery. Each vessel ascends posterior to the internal carotid artery and inside the skull and merge to form the basilar artery at the base of the pons. There are variations in the course, size and origins of the VA. This artery is a common target for vascular surgeries or diagnostic procedures in head and neck region hence it is crucial to be aware of possible origins and courses of VAs when they are not found in their normal place. Herein we present a 39-year-old woman who was a case of VA dissection and on contrasted angiography it was incidentally found that the right VA originated from right common carotid artery (CCA), and the left VA from aortic arch. This is a very rare variation. Few numbers of Right VA originated from right CCA has been reported before, and aortic arch as the origin for left VA is a well-known variation, though coincidence of these two variations is rare.