A rare variation of the inferior alveolar artery with potential clinical consequences

Abstract

Variations of the inferior alveolar artery are seemingly quite rare, especially with regard to its origin from the maxillary artery. We present an unusual case of an inferior alveolar artery that originated from the external carotid artery. To the best of our knowledge, our case is one of only two reports of the inferior alveolar artery arising from the external carotid artery. The clinician who deals with the mandibular region should be aware of such a variation in the arterial architecture. Copyright é 2005 Via Medica.