2024 Volume 46 Issue 4 Pages 300-304
Twisted carotid bifurcation (TCB) occurs when the internal carotid artery runs inside the external carotid artery in the neck. Both congenital and acquired predispositions, such as arteriosclerosis, have been considered as the cause, although further clarification is required. We report a case in which a TCB was repeatedly formed due to mobility of the hyoid bone. A 69-year-old woman was followed up for moderate left internal carotid artery stenosis. At the initial examination, the angle of the right common carotid artery bifurcation was normal; however, 1 year later, it was twisted approximately 90°, forming a TCB. The following year, the findings returned to normal. However, 1 year later, the TCB was formed again. A review of the images confirmed that the carotid artery was located outside the hyoid bone under normal conditions and inside the hyoid bone under TCB conditions. Hence, mobility of the hyoid bone might have been the cause of TCB in this case.
