Aberrant internal carotid artery in the mouth mimicking peritonsillar abscess.
The calculated incidence of aberrant internal carotid artery in the oropharynx is approximately 5% in the general population. An experienced otolaryngologist is not always available in general hospital; therefore, some invasive procedures in the oropharynx, such as aspiration, incision/drainage, and biopsy, which were performed for general infectious diseases or tissue diagnosis, may have resulted in fatal complication in these patients with misdiagnosis. We report a case to reveal that the awareness of such an anatomical variation before performing oropharyngeal procedures remains crucial.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan.
Ching-Chia
CC
Lo
Cheng-Ming
CM
Luo
Tuan-Jen
TJ
Fang
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000002:abnormalities*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000098:blood supply*; D000039:Peritonsillar Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis*