Rare variations in vascular pattern of thyroid gland

Abstract

The thyroid gland is the most vascular endocrine gland. Knowledge of anatomical variations of

the vessels supplying the thyroid gland is of utmost importance to surgeons operating in that

region to avoid any catastrophic outcomes. During routine dissection of neck region, anatomy

of thyroid gland in a cadaver caught our attention as it had multiple variations. The lateral lobes

were quadrilateral in shape. The branching pattern of superior thyroid artery on left side showed

trifurcation along the midline of superior border of isthmus. The inferior thyroid vein took a

longer course and joined with the superior thyroid vein to drain into t he left internal jugular vein insted of left branch iocephalic vein. The implications of such variations in relation to the anatomy of the thyroid gland is relevant for academic and clinical purposes.