Unilateral Right Thyrolinguofacial Trunk Arising From the External Carotid Artery Observed in an African Male Cadaver

A common origin of the superior thyroid artery, lingual artery, and facial artery is an infrequent anatomic variation. This uniqueness could stem from an unusual regression of vessels during remodeling and angiogenesis. Here we present a case of thyrolinguofacial trunk that arose from the external carotid artery of a 47-year-old male cadaver encountered during routine dissection of the head and neck in the department of anatomy. The thyrolinguofacial trunk originated from the anterior surface of the right external carotid artery, from which it gave off the superior thyroid artery and a linguofacial trunk. The linguofacial trunk then gave off the lingual and facial arteries. Since surgery in this region often assumes the normal anatomical arrangement of structures, understanding both the normal and possible abnormal branching patterns of the common carotid artery could help prevent complications, such as hemorrhagic episodes, during operations on the face and neck.