Anomalous thymic branch of the right common carotid artery.

A previously unreported anomalous thymic artery that branched from the anterior aspect of right common carotid artery approximately 1 cm above bifurcation of the brachiocephalic artery was found during routine dissection. It traveled inferiorly through a plexus of inferior thyroid veins for 6 cm in front of the brachiocephalic artery and crossed the anterior surface of the trachea where it divided into two branches that supplied the right and left lobes of the thymus. The development and blood supply of the thymus and their clinical anatomy are reviewed.