25 April 2026
: Case report 
Unilateral Linguofacial Trunk of the External Carotid Artery: A Cadaveric Case Report From Myanmar
Diagnostic / therapeutic accidents, Congenital defects / diseases
Thazin
ABCDEF 1,2, Muhammad Danial Che Ramli DEF 3, Che Mohd Nasril Che Mohd Nassir ACDEF 4, Zaw Myo Hein ABCDEFG 5,6*
DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.951855
Am J Case Rep 2026; 27:e951855
Table 1 Comparative summary of external carotid artery branching patterns.
| Branches of ECA | Classical description | Present case (right side) | Present case (left side) | Clinical significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STA | Independent branch below the hyoid | Independent, below the hyoid | Independent, below the hyoid | Critical for neck surgeries and thyroid gland procedures; ensures safe arterial ligation |
| LA | Independent branch above STA | Arises from common LFT | Independent branch | Awareness prevents inadvertent injury during head and neck surgery and interventional procedures in left side |
| FA | Independent branch superior to LA | Arises from common LFT | Independent branch | Important for selective intra-arterial chemotherapy and reconstructive flap planning |
| Other branches (OA, PAA, superficial temporal artery, terminal branches) | Typical distribution | Typical distribution | Typical distribution | Standard surgical and radiological considerations apply |
| FA – facial artery; LA – lingual artery; LFT – linguofacial trunk; OA – occipital artery; PAA – posterior auricular artery; STA – superior thyroid artery. | ||||