Common Trunk Origin of the Brachiocephalic and Left Common Carotid Arteries from the Aortic Arch

Anatomical variations in the branching pattern of the aortic arch are frequent. Knowledge of these variations are important to surgeons performing thoracic surgery and interventional radiology procedures. We report a case in which the brachiocephalic and left common carotid arteries arose from a common trunk on the arch of the aorta in a female cadaver. We reviewed literature and embryonic development of this variation.