Bilateral Retropharyngeal Internal Carotid Artery ‘Kissing Carotids’: A Case Report

Abstract

Aberrant course of the internal carotid arteries is a rare congenital malformation, accounts for 5% of cases. Several cases of fatal hemorrhage due to an injury to the aberrant internal carotid artery have been observed in patients undergoing pharyngeal surgery procedures. This was associated with a lack of detection during surgery. We report a case of aberrant commun and internal carotid arteries, manifested by odynophagia. This particular anatomical condition should be suspected in patients with pharyngeal mass before any invasive procedure.