Aberrant internal carotid artery is a normal variant and can be mistaken for a jugular paraganglioma. Recognizing the findings of an aberrant internal carotid artery is important to avoid potentially severe surgical complications. 

It is important to note that from these selected images on a non-contrast basis, it is difficult to confirm the diagnosis and full-study CT stacks are needed, which were not available. Differential diagnosis includes jugulotympanic paraganglioma.