A RARE CASE REPORT OF THE BOVINE AND LEFT VERTEBRAL VARIANT OF THE ARCH OF AORTA.

The arch of aorta, a continuation of ascending aorta gives of three main branches, the brachiocephalic trunk, left common carotid artery and left subclavian artery. During routine dissection as part of undergraduate medical teaching in the Department of Anatomy, Government Medical College Kottayam, a rare variation of arch of aorta was noticed. In this cadaver, there was a common origin of the brachiocephalic trunk and left common carotid artery (Bovine variant) and the left vertebral artery was arising directly from arch of aorta. Variations of the arch of aorta comprise a group of entities that may be either asymptomatic or associated with other congenital cardiac defects. A broad spectrum of pathologies and surgical procedures is often linked with these variations hence; the arch of aorta is a key area to be reviewed for its variant anatomy.