{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,26]],"date-time":"2026-10-26T23:17:44Z","timestamp":1793056664358,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]],"date-time":"2025-07-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753228800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: The inferior thyroid artery (ITA) is an essential component of the thyroid gland\u2019s vasculature, with significant clinical and surgical implications due to its anatomical variability. This systematic review aimed to describe the prevalence of ITA anatomical variants and their association with clinical conditions or surgical implications. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in MEDLINE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, CINAHL, Scopus, and EMBASE on 20 November 2025. Eligibility criteria included studies reporting on the presence of ITA variants and their correlation with pathologies. Two authors independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed methodological quality using the AQUA and JBI tools. Results: Of the 2647 articles identified, 19 studies involving 1118 subjects\/cadavers were included. Variations in ITA origin, absence, and additional arteries were reported, with the most common variant being direct origin from the subclavian artery. Clinically, these variations were associated with increased risk of intraoperative hemorrhage, potential nerve damage, and challenges in preoperative planning, particularly during thyroidectomy and other neck procedures. Conclusions: Understanding the anatomical diversity of the ITA is crucial for reducing surgical risks and improving patient outcomes. The review highlighted the need for more standardized research protocols and comprehensive data reporting to enhance the quality of evidence in this domain. Preoperative imaging and thorough anatomical assessments tailored to individual patient profiles, considering ethnic and gender-related differences, are essential for safe surgical interventions in the thyroid region.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics15151858","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]],"date-time":"2025-07-23T16:04:51Z","timestamp":1753286691000},"page":"1858","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["A Systematic Review of Anatomical Variations of the Inferior Thyroid Artery: Clinical and Surgical Considerations"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Alejandro","family":"Bruna-Mejias","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Ciencias y Geograf\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valpara\u00edso 2360072, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carla","family":"P\u00e9rez-Far\u00edas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Morfolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Andr\u00e9s Bello, Santiago 8370227, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tamara","family":"Prieto-Heredia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Morfolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Andr\u00e9s Bello, Santiago 8370227, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fernando","family":"Vergara-Vargas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Morfolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Andr\u00e9s Bello, Santiago 8370227, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Josefina","family":"Mart\u00ednez-Cid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Morfolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Andr\u00e9s Bello, Santiago 8370227, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2599-8474","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Juan","family":"Sanchis-Gimeno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Giaval Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Val\u00e8ncia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sary","family":"Afandi-Rebolledo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Medicina y Ciencia, Universidad San Sebasti\u00e1n, Lota 2465, Santiago 7510157, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Iv\u00e1n","family":"Vald\u00e9s-Orrego","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Chile, Santiago 8910060, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0098-0224","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pablo","family":"Nova-Baeza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Morfolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Andr\u00e9s Bello, Santiago 8370227, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alejandra","family":"Suazo-Santib\u00e1\u00f1ez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Morphology and Function, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad de las Am\u00e9ricas, Santiago 8370040, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juan Jos\u00e9","family":"Valenzuela-Fuenzalida","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Ciencias Qu\u00edmica y Biol\u00f3gicas Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Bernardo O\u2019Higgins, Santiago 8370993, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mathias","family":"Orellana-Donoso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Morfolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Andr\u00e9s Bello, Santiago 8370227, Chile"},{"name":"Escuela de Medicina, Universidad Finis Terrae, Santiago 7501015, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"371","DOI":"10.1016\/j.aanat.2005.04.004","article-title":"A meta-analysis of inferior thyroid artery variations in different human ethnic groups and their clinical implications","volume":"187","author":"Toni","year":"2005","journal-title":"Ann. 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