Case of a completely absent facial artery

In a student course on gross anatomy dissection at Showa University School of Dentistry in 2005, we found a case of a unilateral absence of the facial artery in a 75-year-old Japanese male cadaver.In this case, the left facial artery was completely absent, and it was compensated by the transverse facial artery which had a larger than normal diameter. In addition, the ascending palatine artery formed a common trunk with the lingual artery and the branch of the submandibular gland arose directly from the position where the normal facial artery would usually be in the external carotid artery.