An unusual variation in the termination of facial artery in south Indian population: A human cadaveric case report

The facial artery is an important artery of the face, prone to many variations. Identification of these variations is of utmost importance in clinical practice, especially rhinoplastic and orofacial surgeries and also super selective chemotherapy procedures. In this case report, we report a bilateral facial artery variation encountered in a male cadaver during routine dissection. Instead of terminating as the angular artery, the facial artery terminated as the superior labial artery, giving the lateral nasal artery as a smaller branch, much closer to the midline than normal. A prominent pre-masseteric branch was noticed along with smaller branches from the infraorbital artery which offered possible compensation for the short facial artery. The case reported is a type II variation according to Bayram classification, and a type C variation as per Loukas classification. This variation is very rare and should be kept in mind while performing any surgical procedures of the face.