ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this survey was to study the level of emergence of the external carotid artery and the origin of its collateral branches about a dissection of 30 cadavers subjects of West Africa. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We dissected to the laboratory of Abidjan anatomy 30 cool adults' cadavers corresponding to 28 men and two women. At these 30 cadavers, we dissected 60 external carotids. We studied the level of bifurcation of the carotid artery in relation to hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage and the level of the emergence of the collaterals branches of the external carotid artery according to classic description. RESULTS: The origin of the external carotid artery was variable: in 46 cases (75%), the origin was between the hyoid bone and the thyroid cartilage; in 10 cases (15%), this origin was below the thyroid cartilage and in four cases (13%), this origin was over to the hyoid bone. In 46.5% of cases, we find five collaterals branches of the external carotid artery. According to classic description, we find some variations of the emergence of collateral arteries: the facial artery is not below the lingual artery in 28 cases (46.5%); the ascending pharyngeal artery do not emerge at the same level of lingual artery in 46 cases (76.5%) and in 44 cases (73%), the occipital artery do not emerge of the same level of the facial artery. CONCLUSION: Levels of collateral branch emergence in population of West Africa is variable. It is important to know that for practice cervical surgery safety.
