Anomalous course of the intracranial internal carotid artery into the orbit: case report
- 1Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- 2Department of Neurointerventional Radiology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Correspondence to Dr Spiros L Blackburn, Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; spirosblackburn{at}gmail.com
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Contributors SLB performed literature search and was the primary author. MD and AJS edited the report and assimilated images. JD identified and managed this case and edited the paper for accuracy.
- Received 25 March 2011
- Accepted 19 May 2011
- Published Online First 16 June 2011
Abstract
In this report, a case of anomalous internal carotid artery looping into the orbital apex is presented. The patient was a 41-year-old man with sudden onset headache, suggestive of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Imaging with CT demonstrated a perimesencephalic distribution of blood. Cerebral angiography confirmed non-aneurysmal, perimesencephalic SAH, but incidentally noted an anomalous left internal carotid artery with a course into the orbital cone. This is the only known example of this anatomic variation. Potential embryological explanations are discussed.
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Footnotes
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Competing interests None.
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Patient consent Obtained.
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Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
