Elsevier

Annals of Vascular Surgery

Volume 23, Issue 1, January–February 2009, Pages 142-143
Annals of Vascular Surgery

Case Report
Common Trunks of the Subclavian and the Vertebral Arteries: Presentation of a New Aortic Arch Anomaly

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avsg.2008.02.015Get rights and content

Information about the variations of the origins of subclavian and vertebral arteries and their course is of great importance for head and neck surgery. The normal vertebral arteries arise as the first branches of the corresponding subclavian arteries. In a minority of cases, the left vertebral artery could arise directly from the aortic arch between the left common carotid and the left subclavian arteries. An aberrant right subclavian artery arising as the last branch of the aortic arch is also a frequently seen aortic arch anomaly. Here, we present a case with common trunks of the subclavian and vertebral arteries, demonstrated by cardiac catheterization.

Section snippets

Case Report

A 7-month-old girl presented with a history of cardiac murmur detected during hospital stay because of pneumonia. She had been seen at a tertiary medical center with complaints of sweating, fatique, dyspnea, and cyanosis, as well as a history of frequent respiratory infections. She had been given the diagnosis of patent ductus arteriosus and coarctation of the aorta by echocardiography. On physical examination her weight was below the 25th percentile, pulse rate was 150 bpm, blood pressure was

Discussion

Variations of the aortic arch vessels are important for surgens and radiologists because of their coexistence with other cardiovascular anomalies and for the surgical plan. Szpinda et al.1 reported 20.6% of fetuses showing a common origin of the brachiocephalic trunk and the left common carotid artery in their autopsy series. According to Poultsides et al.,2 the most frequently seen aortic arch anomaly is a common origin of the innominate and left carotid arteries (16%), followed by common

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