Anatomy and Variants

This is the main arterial section, devoted to cervical and cranial arterial anatomy.  Each of the following vessels is discussed with associated angiographic and non-invasive illustrations.  The drop down menu above links to the same pages.  Use the master diagram below and associated figure legend to find vessel of interest

1 – internal carotid; 2 – MHT; 3 – ILT;  5 – ophthalmic artery, 6 – “loop” intraorbital segment, 7 – distal intraorbital segment; 8 – ethmoid (anterior) branch – same as 67; 8 – ethmoid (anterior) branch; 9 – anterior meningeal / anterior falcine; 10 – short ciliary; 11 – long ciliary; 12 – central retinal; 13 – lacrimal; 14 – inferior hypophyseal; 15 – intercavernous (not shown) see skull base diagram; 16– lateral tentorial arcade; 17 – marginal tentorial / Bernasconi-Cassinari; 18 – medial clival arcade; 19 lateral clival arcade; 20 – hypoglossal branch to the odontoid arcade; 21 – odontoid arcade (ventral epidural arcade of the dens); 22 – hypoglossal division, AP artery; 23 a – jugular division, AP artery origin; 23b – jugular branch, occipital origin; 24 – posterior meningeal / tentorium cerebelli branch; 25 – sigmoid sinus arterial arcade (posterior meningeal system); 26 – transverse sinus arterial arcade (posterior meningeal system), 27 – SSS arterial arcade, 28 – transmastoid branch of OA (posterior meningeal system), 29 – OA; 30 – inferior tympanic branch, AP; 31 – caroticotympanic branch (remnant hyoid artery); 32 – stylomastoid branch (OA or posterior auricular artery); 33 – petrous branch, MMA; 34 – foramen Lacerum branch, AP; 35 – cavernous branch of MMA – same artery as spinosum branch of ILT; 36 – foramen Ovale branch of ILT– same vessel as intracranial branch of AMA; 37 – foramen rotundum branch (ILTor IMAX); 38 – anteromedial branch, ILT (remnant dorsal ophthalmic artery); 39 – MMA; 40 – sphenoid ridge branch; 41 – recurrent meningeal branch; 42 –tentorial branch; 43 – clival branch, ILT; 44 – frontal or anterior branch, MMA; 45 – parietal or posterior branch, MMA; 46 – petrosquamosal branch, MMA; 47 – Ascending Pharyngeal Artery (APA); 48 – pharyngeal trunk, APA; 49 – inferior division, APA; 50 – middle division, APA; 51 – superior division, APA; 52 – vidian artery; 53 – pterygovaginal artery; 53a — accessory meningeal artery; 54 – cutaneous branch (Eustachian branch), AMA; 55 – IMAX; 56 – anterior deep temporal branch; 57 – posterior 58 – middle 59 – anterior superior alveolar; 60 – sphenopalatine artery lateral nasal branch mainly supplying inferior (61), middle (62) and superior (62a) turbinates; 63 – mesial branch of the sphenopalatine artery, supplying posterior (64) and anterior (65) nasal septal systems, together with the corresponding posterior (66) and anterior (67) ethmoidal arteries; 68 – descending palatine; 68a — greater palatine; 69 – lesser palatine; 70 – lingual; 71 – submental; 72 – inferior alveolar; 73 – facial; 73a – submandibular; 74 – ascending palatine; 75 – angular; 76 – inferior labial; 77 – superior labial; 78 – superficial nasal; 79 – buccal; 80 — transverse facial; 81 – infraorbital; 82 – dorsal nasal; 83 – supratrochlear; 84 – supraorbital; 85 – STA; 86 – frontal / anterior br. STA; 87 – parietal/posterior br. STA; 88 – STA / MMA anastomosis; 89 – OA / MMA anastomosis; 90 – Vertebral Artery; 91 – ASA; 92 – PICA; 93 – lateral / posterior spinal artery; 94 – coronary arteries; 95 – sulco-commissural arteries; 96 — hypoglossal nerve br; 97 – musculospinal br with C1 and C2 AA anastomoses; 98 – OA C1 nerve root branch; 99 – OA C1 muscular VA anastomosis; 100 – C2 muscular br.; 101 – segmental muscular branches;  102 – deep cervical artery; 103 – ascending cervical artery and its anastomoses (104) with VA; 105 – supreme intercostal; 105 – inferior thyroid; 106 – superior thyroid; 107 – supreme intercostal; 108 – trigeminal; 109 – ventral ophthalmic,  110 – anterior cerebral artery, 111 – posterior communicating artery, 112 – anterior choroidal, 113 – posterior choroidal arteries, 114 – posterior cerebral artery, 115 – superior cerebellar, 116 – AICA, 117 – basilar artery, 118 — middle cerebral artery

Anterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery (AICA) 

Anterior Cerebral Artery 

Anterior Choroidal Artery 

Aortic Arch 

Ascending Pharyngeal Artery 

Basilar Artery 

Deep Cervical Artery

Dorsal Ophthalmic Artery

Inferolateral Trunk (ILT)

Internal Carotid Artery and Its Aneurysms

Mandibulovidian Artery

Meningeal Vessels

Middle Cerebral Artery

Middle Meningeal Artery 

Occipital Artery 

Ophthalmic Artery

Posterior Cerebral Artery

Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery (PICA) 

Posterior Choroidal Arteries 

Posterior Communicating Artery 

Posterior Meningeal Artery 

Sphenopalatine Artery

Subclavian Artery 

Superior Cerebellar Artery 

Thyroid Arteries 

Ventral Ophthalmic Artery

Vertebral Artery 

Vertebrobasilar System