Diagnosis of persistent primitive olfactory artery using computed tomography angiography.

Persistent primitive olfactory artery (PPOA) is a rare anomaly of the anterior cerebral artery. We present one case of PPOA incidentally diagnosed with the aid of computed tomography (CT) angiography. A 24-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital after sudden onset of vertigo. Three-dimensional CT angiography revealed an anomalous artery arising from the terminal portion of the right internal carotid artery. The proximal portion of the anomalous artery coursed anteromedially and made a hairpin turn posterosuperior to the midline. PPOA may be overlooked because of its rarity, but CT angiography can be useful in detecting this rare vascular anomaly. Follow-up study is necessary in our case to confirm whether an aneurysm occurs on the PPOA.