Tortuous internal carotid artery in the oropharynx: a rare cause of a mass

A mass in the posterior pharyngeal wall may be caused by a variety of pathologies. Beyond the common causes such as malignancies, oedema, abscess, or haematoma, rare entities such as an aberrant carotid artery can also be seen. Tortuosity of the internal carotid artery (ICA) is an infrequent condition that must be recognized by the physician1. This represents a serious risk factor for interventions such as oral, oropharyngeal, or laryngeal surgery, as well as endoscopic procedures. The case of a patient with a tortuous ICA, which was seen as a pulsatile mass in the left oropharynx, is described here.

http://ift.tt/2BFFbBB