Tortuous internal carotid artery indenting the piriform sinus: a case report

Internal carotid artery anomaly in oropharynx as a rare cause of sore throat

BACKGROUND

Anomaly of internal carotid artery (ICA) is a very rare variation. In almost all the cases, the anomaly was on the right side. This right-sided predominance may be attributed to anatomical influences and factors affecting blood pressure.

CASE REPORT

A 67-years-old man presented to ear, nose and throat (ENT) outpatient clinic in Al Wakra Hospital complain of sore throat, there was associated medical co-morbidities (diabetic, hypertensive, hyperlipidemia and coronary artery diseases). ENT examination showed a pulsating, bulging mass on the right posterolateral oropharyngeal wall with normal mucosal covering. CT scan with contrast showed aberrant course of the right ICA which is coursing medially in prevertebral space and right posterolateral hypopharyngeal wall over a length of approximately 1.7 cm, making an acute U-turn before resuming the normal course and its distal aspects, only a thin layer of mucosa noted over the aberrant course of ICA.

CONCLUSION

Anomaly of ICA must be kept in mind in the evaluation of patients with sore throat associated with oropharyngeal mass especially in old-aged patients with atherosclerotic diseases.

Tortuous internal carotid artery presenting as a pharyngeal mass

Background:

Deformities of the carotid artery are rare. Tortuosity, kinking and coiling of the internal carotid artery may be observed with advancing age. A tortuous internal carotid artery may cause an abnormal sensation in the throat. In the early twentieth century, there were several reported cases of fatal haemorrhage during pharyngeal surgical procedures, because this condition went undetected.

Method and results:

We present two cases of tortuosity of the right internal carotid artery. Both women complained of abnormal throat sensations. Endoscopic studies and radiological examinations revealed tortuous right internal carotid arteries presenting as pulsatile masses. A literature review revealed that, in most reported cases, this deformity occurred on the right side. We believe that the defect and its right-sided predominance can be attributed to anatomical influences and factors affecting blood pressure.

Conclusion:

In most reported cases of tortuous internal carotid artery, the defect occurred on the right side and patients complained of an abnormal sensation in the throat. This information is useful in the diagnosis of this condition. It is important for otolaryngologists to recognise this anomaly, because fatal haemorrhage can occur in patients with this condition during surgical procedures on the pharynx.

Tortuous internal carotid artery narrowing pyriform sinus: two cases

An elongation of the internal carotid artery should be classified as a tortuosity or a kink. Tortuosity of the carotid artery is rarely seen in otolaryngologic practice. In videolaryngoscopic examination, bilateral pyriform sinus narrowing was found in one patient and unilateral pyriform sinus narrowing in the other patient. Computed tomographic scans showed tortuous internal carotid artery in both patients. Awareness of the possible internal carotid artery tortuosity is very important to prevent serious complications during laryngeal and pharyngeal surgical procedures.

Unilateral congenital elongation of the cervical part of the internal carotid artery with kinking and looping: two case reports and review of the literature

Unilateral and bilateral variation in the course and elongation of the cervical (extracranial) part of the internal carotid artery (ICA) leading to its tortuosity, kinking and coiling or looping is not a rare condition, which could be caused by both embryological and acquired factors. Patients with such variations may be asymptomatic in some cases; in others, they can develop cerebrovascular symptoms due to carotid stenosis affecting cerebral circulation. The risk of transient ischemic attacks in patients with carotid stenosis is high and its surgical correction is indicated for the prevention of ischemic stroke. Detection of developmental variations of the ICA and evaluation of its stenotic areas is very important for surgical interventions and involves specific diagnostic imaging techniques for vascular lesions including contrast arteriography, duplex ultrasonography and magnetic resonance angiography. Examination of obtained images in cases of unusual and complicated variations of vascular pattern of the ICA may lead to confusion in interpretation of data. Awareness about details and topographic anatomy of variations of the ICA may serve as a useful guide for both radiologists and vascular surgeons. It may help to prevent diagnostic errors, influence surgical tactics and interventional procedures and avoid complications during the head and neck surgery. Our present study was conducted with a purpose of updating data about developmental variations of the ICA. Dissections of the main neurovascular bundle of the head and neck were performed on a total 14 human adult cadavers (10 – Africans: 7 males & 3 females and 4 – East Indians: all males). Two cases of unilateral congenital elongation of the cervical part of the ICA with kinking and looping and carotid stenoses were found only in African males. Here we present their detailed case reports with review of the literature.