RESUMO
The level of bifurcation of the basilar artery (BA) and its relationship with the initial course of the anterior pontine part of the superior cerebellar artery (SCA) was studied considering side, sex, ethnic group (EG) and horizontal cephalic index (HCI). The study was conducted in 70 brain from Brazilian adult cadavers of both sexes and from ethnic groups whose arteries were injected with neoprene latex. Cephalic measurements were taken for each individual according to MARTIN-SALLER's techniques. The BA presented higher bifurcation in the most of the cases in white and non-white, dolico-mesocephalic and brachy-hyperbrachycephalic group and in both sexes, and the SCA followed a superior course more frequently in the left side of these groups. The lower bifurcation of BA was observed in similar percentages in the white, non-white, dolicomesocephalic and brachy-hyperbrachycephalic groups. In females this bifurcation was more frequent than in males. The anatomic variability of these arteries has a tendency to be equal distributed among the studied variables.