OBSERVATIONS AND MEASUREMENTS OF THE CEREBELLAR ARTERIES / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

Cerebellar arteries and their branches injected with red latex were observed on 50 adult human brains with the naked eye and stereomicroscope. The external and internal diameters of the arteries and the thickness of their walls were measured.According to the distribution, we named the middle inferior cerebellar artery as anterior inferior cerebellar artery, and the long stem type of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery as the posterior infericr cerebellar artery. So that, there are only three pairs of cerebellar arteries the superior, the anterior inferior and the posterior inferior arteries. Each of the three arteries may be single-branched double-branched or wanting. So the number of the cerebellar arteries is inconstant. The origins of these arteries are variable and the majority of the abnormal sites of origin are situated adjacent to the normal site rostrally. The arterial distributions on both sides are mostly unsymmetrical. These arteries anastomose with each another. If the anterior inferior cerebellar artery is absent the other two arteries of the same side compensate for its loss. While the posterior inferior cerebellar artery is absent or thin it will be compensated for not only by the others of the same side but also by the branches from the corresponding artery of the opposite side. Concerning the diameter of these arteries, the superior cerebellar artery is the largest; the posterior inferior cerebellar artery comes next and the anterior inferior cerebellar artery is the smallest. The blood flow of the inferior surface of the cerebellum, supplied by the posterior inferior artery together with the anterior inferior artery is more abundant than that of the superior surface supplied only by the superior artery.Posterior inferior cerebellar arteries may be classified into two typesdeep situated and superficial siluated types. The latter takes 36.8%. It can easily be found and safely operated when performing the operation of anastomosing the posterior inferior cerebellar artery with the occipital artery.