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Hypoplastic arteries of the cerebral arterial ring in the blind spot of computed tomography angiography
, 23, 23, 23, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 89
Affiliations- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Serbia
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Serbia
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Niš, Serbia
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Serbia
- Clinic of Neurology, University Clinical Center Niš, Serbia
- Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Serbia
- Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Orthodontics, Ljubljana University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Abstract
Background: Some variations of the cerebral arterial circle (CAC) are associated with an increased risk for the development of various pathological conditions. This paper aimed to determine the prevalence of hypoplastic arteries of CAC and to emphasize the limited possibility of their visualization by computed tomography angiography (CTA).
Materials and methods: The research was performed on 400 adult cadavers by macro- and microdissection of the cerebral arteries. Each case was photographed and the diameter of the arteries was measured digitally, by analyzing photographs of the bases of the brain in the ImageJ program.
Results: The largest prevalence of artery diameter <1mm (<0.6mm) in CAC had the posterior communicating artery (PCoA). PCoA on the left side was hypoplastic in 44.9% (11.4%) of cases, while the same artery on the right side was hypoplastic in 44.3% (6.6%) of cases. The posterior cerebral artery was hypoplastic on the left side in 3% (0.6%) and on the right side in 4.2% (0.6%) of cases. The anterior cerebral artery had a hypoplastic caliber only on the right side in 2.4% (0.6%) of the cases, while the internal carotid arteries did not have a diameter <1mm in any case. The anterior communicating artery showed the greatest variability in morphology. Studies on CTA describe the occurrence of aplasia in a statistically significantly higher percentage, and the occurrence of hypoplastic arteries in a statistically significantly lower percentage compared to studies on cadavers.
Conclusions: Due to significant differences between cadaveric and radiological studies, it is necessary to analyze their results regarding arterial hypoplasia and aplasia separately. A diameter of less than 1 mm has been suggested as a criterion for arterial hypoplasia.
Abstract
Background: Some variations of the cerebral arterial circle (CAC) are associated with an increased risk for the development of various pathological conditions. This paper aimed to determine the prevalence of hypoplastic arteries of CAC and to emphasize the limited possibility of their visualization by computed tomography angiography (CTA).
Materials and methods: The research was performed on 400 adult cadavers by macro- and microdissection of the cerebral arteries. Each case was photographed and the diameter of the arteries was measured digitally, by analyzing photographs of the bases of the brain in the ImageJ program.
Results: The largest prevalence of artery diameter <1mm (<0.6mm) in CAC had the posterior communicating artery (PCoA). PCoA on the left side was hypoplastic in 44.9% (11.4%) of cases, while the same artery on the right side was hypoplastic in 44.3% (6.6%) of cases. The posterior cerebral artery was hypoplastic on the left side in 3% (0.6%) and on the right side in 4.2% (0.6%) of cases. The anterior cerebral artery had a hypoplastic caliber only on the right side in 2.4% (0.6%) of the cases, while the internal carotid arteries did not have a diameter <1mm in any case. The anterior communicating artery showed the greatest variability in morphology. Studies on CTA describe the occurrence of aplasia in a statistically significantly higher percentage, and the occurrence of hypoplastic arteries in a statistically significantly lower percentage compared to studies on cadavers.
Conclusions: Due to significant differences between cadaveric and radiological studies, it is necessary to analyze their results regarding arterial hypoplasia and aplasia separately. A diameter of less than 1 mm has been suggested as a criterion for arterial hypoplasia.
Keywords
adult human cadaver, brain base, hypoplasia, computed tomography angiography, cerebral arterial circle
About this articleTitle
Hypoplastic arteries of the cerebral arterial ring in the blind spot of computed tomography angiography
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Issue
Article type
Original article
Published online
2023-10-06
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193
DOI
Pubmed
Keywords
adult human cadaver
brain base
hypoplasia
computed tomography angiography
cerebral arterial circle
Authors
Milena Trandafilović
Miroslav Milić
Aleksandra Antović
Ivan Stojanović
Voja Pavlović
Stefan Todorović
Gorazd Drevenšek
Ljiljana Vasović
Miljana Pavlović
Martina Drevenšek
