Aortic origin of the left vertebral artery

Case contributed by Cherepanov Oleg
Diagnosis not applicable

Presentation

Incidental finding.

Patient Data

Gender: Male

The left vertebral artery originates from the aorta.

Сancer of the middle and lower lobe of the right lung.

Case Discussion

This case demonstrates an anatomic variant of aortic arch branching. The left vertebral artery arises from the aorta between the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery. Thus, four trunks rather than the common three trunks, originate from the arch of the aort (found in 4.3% of cases, Adachi 1928).

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