Microanatomy of the subependymal arteries of the lateral ventricle.
BACKGROUND
Scarce information about the anatomy of the subependymal arteries (SEAs) is present in the scientific literature.


METHODS
Twenty cerebral hemispheres with injected arteries were microdissected, and the magnetic resonance imaging scans of 100 patients with lacunar infarcts were examined.


RESULTS
The SEAs were found to range in diameter from 40 to 490 microm (mean, 149 microm) and in number between 3 and 12 (average, 5.2). Of these, numbers from 1 to 3 originated from the anterior choroidal artery (AChA), between 1 and 10 from the lateral posterior choroidal artery (LPChA), 1 from the medial posterior choroidal artery (MPChA), and 1 from the internal carotid artery. The SEAs most often arose from the choroidal branches (90%) and less frequently from the thalamic (30%), caudate (35%), or thalamocaudate twigs (20%). The SEAs of the AChA supplied the walls of the temporal horn (100%), the occipital horn (85%), and the atrium (35%). Those of the LPChA perfused the walls of the occipital horn (15%), the atrium (65%), the body of the ventricle (100%), and partially the frontal horn. The SEAs of the MPChA partially nourished the body and the frontal horn (10%). The SEAs may also occasionally supply the caudate nucleus (20%) and the stria terminalis. The anastomoses involving the SEAs were absent. In spite of this, ischemia in the territory of a single SEA was noticed in only 1% of our patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The SEAs are tiny vessels that supply the walls of the lateral ventricle, as well as the caudate nucleus and the stria terminalis occasionally. The obtained anatomic data can have important neurosurgical implications in intraventricular operations.
Marinković
Slobodan
S
Institute of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 1100 Yugoslavia.
Gibo
Hirohiko
H
Filipović
Branislav
B
Dulejić
Vuk
V
Piscević
Ivan
I
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000502:physiology; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000098:blood supply; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D002941:Circle of Willis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D004805:Ependyma / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D020547:Lateral Ventricles / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000502:physiology; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged