European Journal of Anatomy

Official Journal of The Spanish Society of Anatomy
Cover Volume 18 - Number 1
Eur J Anat, 18 (1): 34-37 (2014)

Ansa cervicalis - variable course of the superior root

Neeru Goyal and Anjali Jain

Department of Anatomy, Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, India

ABSTRACT In the past few years, techniques have been developed using ansa cervicalis to innervate muscles of the larynx paralyzed due to surgical procedures performed in the area of the chest and neck. In the present report, during routine dissection in a middle-aged male cadaver, we observed an unusual course of the superior root of the ansa cervicalis on right side. The superior root of the ansa cervicalis fused with the vagus, and ran within the carotid sheath before joining the inferior root forming the ansa cervicalis in the anterior wall of the carotid sheath. The present case should add to our existing knowledge of ansa cervicalis, and should help surgeons in avoiding injury to the nerve during various surgical procedures.

Keywords: Anatomical variation, Ansa cervicalis, Descendens hypoglossi, Hypoglossal nerve

European Journal of anatomy
ISSN 2340-311X (Online)