Anatomy of the Middle Cerebral Artery: The Temporal Branches

Abstract

Nineteen out of 23 middle cerebral arterial specimens had as the first major branch of the middle cerebral artery a sizable anterior temporal artery; a trunk forming the anterior and middle temporal branches; a trunk forming the anterior, middle, and posterior temporal arteries; or a trunk forming temporal and angular arterial branches. Patients harboring middle cerebral stenoses or occlusions who have correlating cerebral ischemic symptoms may be considered as candidates for microsurgical cerebral revascularization. However, if such patients undergo intracranial surgery, the superficial temporal artery should probably be joined to a supra-Sylvian arterial branch, rather than to a temporal arterial branch, in order to avoid delivering the new blood supply proximal to the stenotic or occluded segment.