An Unusual Cause of Syncope: Persistent Hypoglossal Artery, A Case Report

Persistent hypoglossal artery (PHA) is a rare primitive anastomose which mainly supplies the posterior cerebral circulation by itself in the case of the absent vertebral arteries. This artery is an embryological remnant and commonly found incidentally. It originates from the upper cervical vertebra (C1-C2 level) of the internal carotid artery. Here we present a unique case suffered from syncope related with PHA which supplies the posterior cerebral blood flow in the absence of the vertebral arteries with the classical findings on magnetic resonance imaging and our clinical approach.