Study on Five Cases of an Accessory Left Vertebral Artery on the Aortic Arch | Chapter 19 | Highlights on Medicine and Medical Science Vol. 18
Vascular alterations of the head and neck are widespread, although they typically go undiagnosed due to the lack of obvious clinical signs. Iatrogenic consequences or even death may emerge from a lack of knowledge of the presence and location of such changes. Given their potential clinical relevance, physicians and surgeons should be aware of such variances. Variations in the number and origin of vertebral arteries are common, but they are rarely described in the literature. Each of the five case studies presented here is as follows: Case 1 involved a White 65-year-old man, Case 2 involved a White 89-year-old woman, and Case 3 involved a White 80-year-old woman (Case 3), An auxiliary left vertebral artery coming from the aortic arch was found between the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery in a White 96-year-old female (Case 4) and a White 95-year-old female (Case 5). In the literature, this is the most typical location for variations of this type. A lef...