Three-dimensional computed tomographic analysis of variations of the carotid artery.

Background: Although the terms tortuous, coiling, and kinking have been used to describe the curvature of the carotid artery, the prevalence rates of these patterns have differed among studies. We morphologically evaluated the characteristics of the carotid artery by means of three-dimensional computed tomography (3DCT) to clarify the prevalence of tortuosity, coiling, and kinking. We present our results and discuss the clinical impact of our findings.

Methods: A total 148 patients underwent contrast-enhanced CT (including 55 patients who underwent dynamic CT), and anatomical variations were analyzed on the basis of 3DCT images.

Results: Among the 296 arteries, tortuosity was present in 254 (85.8%), coiling in 9 (3.0%), kinking in 3 (1.0%), and occlusion in 2 (0.7%).

Conclusion: 3DCT image reconstruction is an effective means for classifying morphological variations of the ICA and detecting abnormalities of the carotid artery. It can thereby potentially reduce the risk of serious complications during neck surgery.