Aberrant internal carotid artery in the mouth mimicking peritonsillar abscess.

The calculated incidence of aberrant internal carotid artery in the oropharynx is approximately 5% in the general population. An experienced otolaryngologist is not always available in general hospital; therefore, some invasive procedures in the oropharynx, such as aspiration, incision/drainage, and biopsy, which were performed for general infectious diseases or tissue diagnosis, may have resulted in fatal complication in these patients with misdiagnosis. We report a case to reveal that the awareness of such an anatomical variation before performing oropharyngeal procedures remains crucial.