Persistent Primitive Hypoglossal Artery Associated with Brain Stem Ischemia in an Elderly Patient

Introduction

The primitive hypoglossal artery (PHA) crosses the hypoglossal canal, being one of the four vessels that acts as anastomosis between the primitive dorsal aorta and longitudinal neural arteries. The PHA typically retracts 40 days after pregnancy but may persist in some situations.

Direct anastomoses between the basilar and carotid arteries are rare.^– These vessels retreat during the fortieth day of fetal development, when the emergence of the posterior communicating arteries occurs unicating vessels are the trigeminal, the primitive hypoglossal, the proatlantal and the ophthalmic vessels.^,, The persistence of the primitive hypoglossal artery has an incidence of 0.01% to 0.03%, being the second most frequent among the four vessels.^–

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