title: Truncus bicaroticus: an underestimated anatomic variation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To illustrate that a truncus bicaroticus and an elongated truncus brachiocephalicus are underestimated anatomic variations; and to highlight the risk of injury of these vessel anomalies during routine surgical interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Report of a woman with long-term ventilation who was planned for conventional surgical tracheostomy. Due to a strong pulsatile vessel crossing the cricoid cartilage, the procedure was stopped. Further diagnostics revealed anomalies of the supraaortic vessels, including a truncus bicaroticus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anomalies of supraaortic vessels are not rare and injuries may cause severe bleeding; therefore, we recommend performing a preoperative ultrasound, particularly before starting dilatative tracheostomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (C.B., J.P.), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Zoltan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Csatari
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pfeiffer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D063405:Anatomic Variation; D016122:Brachiocephalic Trunk / Q000002:abnormalities*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000002:abnormalities*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014139:Tracheostomy
keywords: Truncus bicaroticus; aberrant carotid artery; neck surgery; supraaortic vessel anomalies; tracheostomy; truncus brachiocephalicus