The posterior inferior cerebellar artery arising from the extracranial segment of the internal carotid artery via the hypoglossal canal without an interposed segment of the basilar artery: a persistent primitive hypoglossal artery variant.

The authors present a rare case of a persistent primitive hypoglossal artery (PHA) variant ending in the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) without an interposed segment of the basilar artery and describe briefly the possible embryogenesis of this anomaly.