Aortic arch anomalies classifications bovine arch

Associate Editor-In-Chief: Keri Shafer, M.D. [mailto:kshafer@bidmc.harvard.edu] Priyamvada Singh, MBBS mailto:psingh@perfuse.org

Assistant Editor-In-Chief: Kristin Feeney, B.S. mailto:kfeeney@perfuse.org

Bovine Arch
The bovine arch, refers a common branching patten variant of the aortic arch, where the brachiocephalic artery (aka innominate) shares a common origin with the left common carotid artery.

In actuality it is a misnomer as the true bovine arch - i.e that found in cattle - comprises a common single brachiocephalic trunk which trifurcates into bilateral subclavian arteries and a single bicarotid trunk. This variation is very rare in humans.

(Images shown below are courtesy of radiopaedia.org)

Diagnosis
A bovine arch may be observed through multiple diagnostic techniques:
 * MRI
 * CT