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Intrathyroidal carotid artery and nonrecurring right recurrent laryngeal nerve: A case report
Author(s) -
Baker Aaron,
Cottrill Elizabeth E.,
Munizza Olivia,
McGillen Kathryn,
McKin Tyler,
Goldenberg David
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.24970
Subject(s) - medicine , recurrent laryngeal nerve , thyroid , radiology , nodule (geology) , superior thyroid artery , thyroidectomy , superior laryngeal nerve , thyroid cancer , anatomy , thyroid carcinoma , paleontology , biology
Background When performing thyroidectomy, knowledge of normal anatomy and variants is vital to avoid injuring nearby structures. Typically, the bilateral carotids course posterolateral to the thyroid gland. We describe a rare variant of an intrathyroidal carotid artery, not previously described in the literature. Methods A 23‐year‐old woman with a strong family history of thyroid cancer presented with a left thyroid nodule, and a fine‐needle aspiration biopsy revealing papillary thyroid carcinoma. She underwent total thyroidectomy. Results Intraoperatively, the carotid was found coursing centrally through the right lobe parenchyma, associated with an ipsilateral nonrecurrent recurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN) entering the cricothyroid joint superolaterally. Conclusion This is, to our knowledge, the first report of such an anatomic variant in the medical literature. Aberrant carotid artery anatomy may potentially cause life‐threatening surgical complications and should be considered preoperatively. Furthermore, recognition of concurrent recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) anomalies with vascular variations allows identification of nonrecurrent nerves.