Anatomical peculiarities of the origin and traject of the superior thyroid artery

the methods of dissection and analysis of angioCT’s. Each of the details was analyzed comparatively on both sides of the body assessing: the origin of the superior thyroid artery in relation to the carotid bifurcation, the face of the external carotid artery that gives origin and the traject of the artery from the origin to the glandular parenchyma. The origin of the superior thyroid artery was evaluated on a number of 64 cases, most frequently having its origin from the external carotid artery, an aspect met 53.125 % of cases, at a distance that was between 1-18 mm. In 28.125 % of cases the superior thyroid artery had its origin in the common carotid trunk at a distance of 1-10 mm caudal to the terminal bifurcation of the common carotid. In 18.75 % of cases, the thyroid artery originated from the carotid bifurcation, which thus ends up by trifurcation. The side of the vessel that emerges the superior thyroid artery was assessed on 42 cases; most commonly the superior thyroid artery having its origin on the medial face, an aspect found in 66.67 % of cases; in 23.81 % of cases originated from the posterior medial and only two cases (4.76 % of cases), both on the left side(8.70 % of cases on the left), the origin of the superior thyroid artery was located on the anterior, respectively faces of the common carotid artery. The traject of the superior thyroid artery was followed on 53 cases, in most cases the artery showing initially a horizontal traject (transverse) towards medially for 1-4 cm, then became obliquely downward, an aspect met in 28.30 % of cases and in 22.64 % of cases, the artery was obliquely downward from its origin. In 11.32 % of cases the traject was obliquely ascending and in 9.43 % of cases the artery was initially obliquely upward for 2-3 cm, after which became transverse. For the remaining 28.30 % of the cases we have met a number of other 5 different patterns of traject but in a small percentage for each of them (5.66% of cases).