Perforating and ophthalmic artery variants from the anterior cerebral artery: Two case reports

Abstract

BACKGROUND

The diagnosis and therapy during surgery depend largely on a full account of anatomic characteristics. Apart from regular structures, the common, less common or even uncommon anatomic variations are critical for procedural planning. This is especially true during craniocerebral microsurgery, where small vascular variations can affect the final surgical results and patient prognosis.

CASE SUMMARY

Herein, two rare variations concerning the A1 (horizontal) segment of anterior cerebral artery (ACA1) were introduced. One enabled the communication between perforating branch of ACA1 and dural artery of anterior skull base, which was discovered during autopsy. The other was ophthalmic artery (OA) originating from ACA1, shown on digital angiography.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we found two rare anatomical variations. One was an abnormal OA originated from the anterior communicating artery. The other was a perforating branch of the A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery, which communicated with meningeal vessels in the anterior skull base. This finding is of great significance for the treatment of anterior communicating artery aneurysm or in other anterior skull base surgery.

Keywords: Microsurgical anatomy; Arterial variations; Ophthalmic artery; Perforating branches; Case report

Core Tip: In the process of anatomy of human specimens and cerebral angiography of patients, we found the unusual abnormal anatomical structure, that is, the communication between the perforating branch of anterior cerebral artery (ACA1) and the dura mater vessels of the anterior skull base, and the abnormal ophthalmic artery originated from ACA1, which is very useful for us to understand the abnormal structure of cerebral vessels.