[An anatomic study on the relationship of the recurrent perforating artery and the facial nerve and the vestibulocochlear nerve].
OBJECTIVE
To privde useful anatomic data for the microvascular decompression surgery of the vestibulocochlear nerve in the cerebellopontine angle.


METHODS
The recurrent perforating artery related with VN in the cerebellopontine angle were examined with operating microscope in 20 adult head cadavers fixed with formalin.


RESULTS
The recurrent perforating artery was identified in 40 specimens with cerebellopontine angles. There was one recurrent perforating artery in 30 cerebellopontine angles and two in 10. In thirty-two (80%) the recurrent perforating arteries passed between the facial nerve and the vestibulocochlear nerve. In the thirty-two cerebellopontine angles, some recurrent perforating arteries (87.5%) were located in the external two-third part of the facial nerve and vestibulocochlear nerve in the cerebellopontine angle. In thirty-eight (95%) the vestibulocochlear nerves had contact with the anterior inferior cerebellar artery or its branches. Among them, twenty (50%) had two or more branches contacted with the vestibulocochlear nerves.


CONCLUSIONS
These data may be helpful in the microvascular decompression surgery of the vestibulocochlear nerve, and in the radiography of cerebellopontine angle.
Qiao
Shengduo
S
Department of Otolaryngology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
Huang
Weiguo
W
Qiu
Jianhua
J
D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply; D002102:Cadaver; D002530:Cerebellopontine Angle / Q000098:blood supply*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000098:blood supply; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000159:Vestibulocochlear Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology*