Aberrant Internal Carotid Artery in the Temporal Bone

Abstract

To describe the clinical and radiological features of the vascular anomaly aberrant internal carotid artery (ICA) in the temporal bone and to discuss management strategies. Design: Retrospective study. Patients: Sixteen cases of aberrant ICA were diagnosed between 1982 and 2003. Results: Of 16 cases, 11 were recognized by imaging assessment, 4 were recognized during middle ear surgery, and 1 was recognized clinically. Among the 11 cases, 8 malformations were diagnosed because of otologic symptoms related to the abnormal ICA or chronic otitis, while the other 3 were identified incidentally because of an underlying accompanying disease. In 4 cases, the diagnosis was made during surgery related to chronic otitis media (n=2) or conductive hearing loss (n=2). In these 4 cases, massive bleeding resulted from surgical injury to the vessel. Packing the external auditory canal and the middle ear

Bilateral aberrant internal carotid arteries discovered during myringotomy: A case report and review of the literature

“…[9] The duration of packing was not specified in these cases. [9] In our case, otorrhagia was controlled in the operating room with ear packing and did not recur after unpacking two weeks later.…”

“…[9] The duration of packing was not specified in these cases. [9] In our case, otorrhagia was controlled in the operating room with ear packing and did not recur after unpacking two weeks later. Hunt et al describe a similar case which resolved with only one week of packing, [10] suggesting that one week may have been sufficient in our case as well.…”

An Aberrant Carotid Artery; Which is Underlying Cause of Unilateral Objective Tinnitus

“…Objective pulsatile tinnitus, hearing loss, and a coloured mass behind the intact tympanic membrane are the most common symptoms of aberrant ICA. Sometimes this anomaly can be found incidentally [4,8] . Most of the cases in the literature were diagnosed during middle ear surgery.…”

“…Aberrant ICA is rarely seen in the middle ear cavity and these cases are encountered more often in females than males [1] . Aberrant ICA can mimic dehiscence of the jugular bulb, glomus tumours, haemangiomas, and cholesterol granulomas [2][3][4] . In the past, it was often found during ear surgery or biopsy and may cause massive bleeding and life-threatening complications [5] .…”

“…Because the symptoms and signs are often nonspecific or absent, clinical diagnosis of aberrant ICA is very difficult. The most common symptoms are pulsatile tinnitus, hearing loss, and retrotympanic mass [4] . In this case, we report an aberrant ICA in the middle ear presenting with pulsatile tinnitus and hearing loss.…”