Occipital artery and ascending pharyngeal artery variation: a case report

Occipital and ascending pharyngeal artery variation

Abstract

Unilateral variation of branches of external carotid artery was detected in a 62-year-old female cadaver during routine cadaver dissections performed for education in the Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, ………. The superior thyroid artery was the first branch and originated at the carotid bifurcation level. The occipital and ascending pharyngeal arteries originated close to the carotid bifurcation level. The occipital artery originated from the anterior aspect while the ascending pharyngeal artery originated immediately from the posterior aspect of the external carotid artery. The knowledge of such variations gains importance for successful clinical practice (endarterectomy, extra-intracranial arterial by-pass etc).