Purpose: We quantified variations of the lingual artery origin, measured the lingual artery origin distance from clinical relevant landmarks and compared the lingual artery diameters with normal and variable origin.
Methods: Forty-two formalin fixed male cadavers were bilaterally evaluated. Measurements were performed with the aid of an electronic digital caliper.
Results: The origin distances from the common carotid artery bifurcation was 1.05 +/- 0.11 and 1.02 +/- 0.11 cm for the right and left lingual arteries respectively with no differences compared to the lingual-facial trunks. The diameters of the lingual arteries were 0.25 +/- 0.01 and 0.26 +/- 0.01 cm for the right and left sides, respectively, while the lingual-facial trunks showed diameters of 0.21 +/- 0.02 and 0.24 +/- 0.02 cm for the right and left sides, respectively.
Conclusions: The present study adds information on the lingual artery diameter and its anatomical relation to clinically useful landmarks.