title: Aberrant common carotid artery -- a surprise for the unwary.
abstract: An aberrant common carotid artery is a rare anatomical anomaly. We report a case of an aberrant carotid artery running across the trachea in a patient undergoing total thyroidectomy. This rare anomaly may make a tracheostomy, a particularly hazardous procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Queen Victoria Hospital, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Satish
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Madhavarajan
authors.forename: Carmelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barbaccia
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Darryl M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Coombes
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods; D016122:Brachiocephalic Trunk / Q000002:abnormalities; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000002:abnormalities*; D005260:Female; D006044:Goiter, Nodular / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014132:Trachea / Q000473:pathology