Variant origin of left vertebral artery

Arterial derangements within the thorax are common, complex and can assume many diverse forms. Accurate knowledge of the normal and variant arterial anatomy of the vertebral artery is important for clinical procedures and vascular radiology. In the present paper, a rare variation of vertebral artery is being reported. The artery on left side, took origin directly from the arch of aorta. Earlier, vertebral artery of aortic arch origin has been described by different authors in the range of 3.1-8.3%. Further its ontogeny and clinical implications are discussed in detail. The present report should be of interest for the clinician with regard to vascular variations in the neck and thoracic region, and may give insight into elucidating the developmental mechanism of angiogenesis.