Which artery is a branch of the brachiocephalic trunk?

• A. Left common carotid artery
• B. Right common carotid artery
• C. Internal carotid artery
• D. External carotid artery

Answer: (B)

The brachiocephalic trunk is the first branch off the aortic arch on the right side and it splits into the right common carotid and the right subclavian arteries. So the artery that branches from it is the right common carotid. The right common carotid then divides into internal and external carotid arteries, which are its downstream branches, not direct branches of the brachiocephalic trunk. The left common carotid artery, by contrast, arises directly from the aortic arch, not from the brachiocephalic trunk.