Anomalous course of the intracranial internal carotid artery into the orbit: case report

J Neurointerv Surg. 2012 May;4(3):e9. doi: 10.1136/neurintsurg-2011-010037. Epub 2011 Jun 16.

Abstract

In this report, a case of anomalous internal carotid artery looping into the orbital apex is presented. The patient was a 41-year-old man with sudden onset headache, suggestive of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Imaging with CT demonstrated a perimesencephalic distribution of blood. Cerebral angiography confirmed non-aneurysmal, perimesencephalic SAH, but incidentally noted an anomalous left internal carotid artery with a course into the orbital cone. This is the only known example of this anatomic variation. Potential embryological explanations are discussed.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Carotid Artery, Internal / abnormalities*
  • Carotid Artery, Internal / diagnostic imaging*
  • Cerebral Angiography
  • Diplopia / etiology
  • Headache / etiology
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Magnetic Resonance Angiography
  • Male
  • Orbit / abnormalities*
  • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / complications
  • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / diagnostic imaging
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Visual Fields