Tracheal Compression by Aberrant Brachiocephalic Trunk Accompanying Variant Origin of the Vertebral Artery

Abstract

The aorta is the main arterial trunk in the human body, however, its variation was extremely variable. During an educational dissection, aberrant branching pattern of aortic arch was found in a Korean cadaver. The brachiocephalic trunk (innominate artery) originated from the aortic arch at the left side of the trachea. It crossed the trachea and divided into the right common carotid and subclavian arteries. The left vertebral artery originated from the aortic arch between the origins of the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery, then the left vertebral artery coursed upward to the transverse foramen of the C7. The author describes this previously novel case report with aberrant brachiocephalic trunk and left vertebral arteries and discusses the clinical implications of such a variant.