title: Primitive trigeminal artery.
abstract: A 29-year-old woman presented with a near-syncopal event, followed by right-sided weakness and numbness as well as dysarthria. The symptoms resolved over several hours. The patient had a history of migraine and cleidocranial dysostosis. Her work-up was negative for stroke and dissection. Computed tomographic angiography (Figure 1, A and B) showed a carotid to basilar artery anastomosis (persistent primitive trigeminal artery). This variant is present in 0.1% to 0.6% of angiograms1. Patients with cleidocranial synostosis may be prone to anomalies of the circle of Willis since they are more likely to harbor cerebral aneurysms (26%).2.
authors.affiliation: Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Research Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (SMC) and the department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (AM).
authors.forename: Steve M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Cordina
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Palmer