title: An aberrant internal carotid artery discovered during evaluation of obstructive sleep apnea: a report of 2 cases with consideration of a possible association.
abstract: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is often associated with reduced pharyngeal muscle tone and an anatomically narrowed pharyngeal airspace. We describe 2 cases of aberrant internal carotid arteries that were diagnosed during evaluations of patients with suspected OSA. It is possible that these anatomic anomalies contributed to airspace narrowing in these patients. These 2 cases represent an interesting presentation of sleep apnea, and they provide a reminder of the importance of clinically recognizing carotid artery aberrations in order to avoid arterial damage during routine oropharyngeal procedures.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Bldg. 1, SOM Mail Code 0739, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093-0617, USA. apicel@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Picel
authors.forename: Terence M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000002:abnormalities*; D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; D004724:Endoscopy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy