Sasikumar Nandhini, S Vijayalakshmi, Raghunath Gunapriya, Karunakaran Balaji, S Nithya, Ks Priya Dharshini, M Kumaresan, G Sankara Narayanan, Gurusamy Karthikeyan, Maria Francis Yuvaraj
Anatomy, Panimalar Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Chennai, IND.
Anatomy, Saveetha Medical College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, IND.
Cureus. 2023 Feb 28;15(2):e35624. doi: 10.7759/cureus.35624. eCollection 2023 Feb.
The prime source of vascularization to the head and neck region is through the carotid arteries. The terminal branches of common carotid arteries, such as external carotid artery (ECA) and internal carotid artery (ICA), and their branches are crucial due to the wide area of distribution and variations in their branching pattern. The branching pattern and morphometry are essential for surgeons in the planning and execution of head and neck surgeries. Therefore, this study was conducted to observe the branching patterns of ECA and analyze them morphometrically.
This retrospective study includes 100 CT images, inclusive of 32 females and 68 males. The branching pattern and luminal diameter of CCA and ECA were measured and analyzed statistically.
The luminal diameter of CCA in males were as follows: 7.4 ± 1.01 (R), 7.1 ± 0.8 (L), and in females: 7.3 ± 0.9 (R), 7 ± 0.9mm (L); and the luminal diameter of ECA in males: 5.2 ± 1.0mm (R), 5.2 ± 0.9mm (L), and in females: 5.0 ± 0.9mm (R), 5.1 ± 1.0mm (L). The level of the carotid bifurcation and ECA branching pattern was observed, and variations were commonly seen in the superior thyroid artery (STA), lingual artery (LA), and facial artery (FA). Conclusion: The findings of the present study with regard to the external carotid artery and its branching pattern correlate with previous studies. The most common variations were observed in the superior thyroid and lingual and facial arteries. Knowledge about the morphology and branching pattern of the carotid artery is essential for procedures such as intra-arterial chemotherapy, carotid artery stenting, endarterectomy, and extra-intra cranial bypass revascularization procedure where it is harvested as a donor's vessel.
头颈部区域血管化的主要来源是通过颈动脉。颈总动脉的终末分支，如颈外动脉（ECA）和颈内动脉（ICA）及其分支，因其广泛的分布区域和分支模式的变化而至关重要。分支模式和形态测量对于外科医生在头颈部手术的规划和执行中至关重要。因此，本研究旨在观察ECA的分支模式并对其进行形态测量分析。
本回顾性研究包括100例CT图像，其中女性32例，男性6例。测量并统计分析了颈总动脉和颈外动脉的分支模式和管腔直径。
男性颈总动脉的管腔直径如下：右侧7.4±1.01，左侧7.1±0.8；女性右侧7.3±0.9，左侧7±0.9mm；男性颈外动脉的管腔直径：右侧5.2±1.0mm，左侧5.2±0.9mm；女性右侧5.0±0.9mm，左侧5.1±1.0mm。观察了颈动脉分叉水平和颈外动脉分支模式，常见变异见于甲状腺上动脉（STA）、舌动脉（LA）和面动脉（FA）。结论：本研究关于颈外动脉及其分支模式的结果与先前研究相关。在甲状腺上动脉、舌动脉和面动脉中观察到最常见的变异。了解颈动脉的形态和分支模式对于诸如动脉内化疗、颈动脉支架置入术、动脉内膜切除术以及作为供体血管获取的颅内外搭桥血管重建术等手术至关重要。
