Pulsatile cervical swelling (dilated carotid artery) associated with persistent primitive trigeminal artery. Case report.

A 39-year-old woman was admitted to the department of surgery due to a left-sided pulsatile cervical swelling. Angiography showed that the pulsatile swelling was due to enlargement of the internal carotid artery, and revealed a persistent left-sided primitive trigeminal artery. The clinical significance of this persistent carotid-basilar anastomosis is reviewed, and its possible pathogenetic relationship with the pulsatile cervical swelling is discussed.