A Study on Position and Lumen Geometry at the Origin of External Carotid Artery in Human Adult Cadavers

Background: External carotid artery is the predominant source of blood supply to the structures in the head and neck region. Morphological anomalies in the external and internal carotid arteries may lead to severe complications, when radiographic evaluations and surgical proceedings are done in the neck without any prior knowledge. Normal arterial diameters of external carotid arteries were important in-patient selection, preoperative planning, and design of new endovascular devices for arterial reconstruction. Material and Methods: A descriptive study was performed on 60 formalin fixed male and female Human adult cadavers, aged between 45 to 75 yrs in the department of Anatomy, Dr.Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences and Research foundation, chinoutapalli and Mamatha academy of medical sciences, Hyderabad , during the academic years, 2018- 2023 during the academic years . Observations from both right and left external carotid arteries (total- 120 sides) were noted. Results: In the present study, positions of external carotid artery observed were, antero-medial in 90%, anterolateral in 6.66% and lateral position in 3.33% of cases. The mean ± standard deviation calculated for the diameter of lumen at the origin of external carotid artery on the right side was 0.623±0.048 cm and on the left side was 0.608±0.050cm. For both right and left sides was 0.616±0.049cm. Conclusion: Positional variations of external carotid artery observed in the present study were anterolateral and lateral positions. In such cases Carotid endarterectomy can be safely done, after transposing the internal carotid artery to normal location. Data on normal arterial diameters were helpful during reconstructive surgeries and manufacture of endovascular devices, respective to different ethnic groups. KEYWORDS: Common Carotid Artery, Carotid Artery External, Positional Variations, Lumen Geometry, Carotid Endarterectomy.