Congenital Absence of the Common Carotid Artery With Common Origin of the Internal and External Carotid Arteries

Abstract

Congenital absence of the common carotid artery is a rare vascular anomaly that is usually discovered incidentally in otherwise asymptomatic patients and can potentially pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Although it has been typically associated with separate origins of the internal and external carotid arteries, a common origin of both arteries is exceedingly rare and has been reported in 6 cases to date. We present the case of a 70-year-old female, who was referred for a carotid ultrasound after a carotid bruit was auscultated. Carotid duplex scan identified the congenital absence of the right common carotid artery with no significant internal carotid stenosis. This was confirmed by a computed tomography angiography scan of the neck, which showed the right internal and external carotid arteries sharing a common origin off the distal brachiocephalic artery.