The short retropharyngeal route for arterial bypass across the neck.

Occasionally, in order to revascularize the carotid bifurcation one may need to cross the neck with a bypass that originates in the opposite subclavian or common carotid artery. This report describes a short, natural route behind the pharynx that permits using a shorter bypass as well as a direct reimplantation of one common carotid into its opposite without an intervening graft.