Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Acta Neurochirurgica
Published in: Acta Neurochirurgica 10/2008

01-10-2008 | Short Illustrated Review

Infraoptic anterior cerebral artery: review, report of two cases and an anatomical classification

Authors: S. T. Wong, S. C. Yuen, K. F. Fok, K. Y. Yam, D. Fong

Published in: Acta Neurochirurgica | Issue 10/2008

Login to get access

Abstract

Introduction

Infraoptic course of the pre-communicating anterior cerebral artery (A1) is a rare anomaly. In total, there are 42 examples reported in the literature. We report two further patients. The first had an intradural cerebral aneurysm at the low bifurcation of an internal carotid artery (ICA) with bilateral infraoptic course of A1. The second had right infraoptic course of A1 with associated left parietal cerebral arteriovenous malformation and is the first report of such an association.

Discussion and conclusion

Overall, 59% of the examples were associated with cerebral aneurysms. Different terminology such as carotid–anterior cerebral artery anastomosis and infraoptic anterior cerebral artery has been used. Having analyzed the reports of infraoptic A1, we found the vascular configurations of the A1 could be better described by classifying them into four types. Such a classification can facilitate analysis of the embryogenesis explanation for this anomaly and the pathogenesis of the associated aneurysms. Besides, such a classification also has some practical implications.
Literature
1.
Al-Qahtani S, Tampieri D, Brassard R, Sirhan D, Mellanson D (2003) Coil embolization of an aneurysm associated with an infraoptic anterior cerebral artery in a child. AJNR 24:990–991PubMed
2.
Besson G, Leguyader J, Mimassi N, Vallée B, Garré H (1980) Anomalie rare du polygone de Willis: Trajet sous-optique des deux artères cérébrales antérieures anévrysme associé de la bifurcation du tronc basilaire. Neurochirurgie 26:71–75PubMed
3.
Bernini FP, Cioffi FA, Muras J, Rinaldi F (1982) Carotid siphon pericallosal arterial anastomosis. Acta Neurochir 66:61–69CrossRef
4.
Bollar A, Martinez R, Gelabert M, Garcia A (1988) Anomalous origin of the anterior cerebral artery associated with aneurysm: embryological considerations. Neuroradiology 30:86PubMedCrossRef
5.
Bosma NJ (1977) Infraoptic course of the anterior cerebral artery and low bifurcation of the internal carotid artery. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 38:305–312CrossRef
6.
Brismar J, Ackerman R, Roberson G (1977) Anomaly of anterior cerebral artery: a case report and embryologic considerations. Acta Radiol Diagn (Stockh) 18:154–160
7.
Collins P (1995) Embryology and development. In: Williams PL, Bannister LH, Berry MM, Collins P, Dyson M, Dussek JE, Ferguson MWJ (eds) Gray’s Anatomy. 38rd edn. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, p 314
8.
Dawson BH (1958) The blood vessels of the human optic chiasma and their relation to those of the hypophysis and hypothalamus. Brain 81:207–217PubMedCrossRef
9.
Decker K (1966) Clinical Neuroradiology. McGraw-Hill, New York, p 51, 337
10.
Elze C (1907) Beschreibung eines Menschlichen Embryo von ca. 7mms. Grösse Anat Hefte 35:409–492CrossRef
11.
Fujimoto S, Murakami M (1983) Anomalous branch of the internal carotid artery supplying circulation of the anterior cerebral artery: case report. J Neurosurg 58:941–946PubMedCrossRef
12.
Given CA II, Morris PP (2002) Recognition and importance of an infraoptic anterior cerebral artery: case report. AJNR 23:452–454PubMed
13.
Handa J, Matsuda M, Koyama T, Handa H, Kikuchi H, Hayashi K (1971) Internal carotid aneurysm associated with multiple anomalies of cerebral arteries. Neuroradiology 2:230–233PubMedCrossRef
14.
Hillard VH, Musunuru K, Nwagwu C, Das K, Murali R, Zablow B, Hirschfeld A (2002) Treatment of an anterior communicating artery aneurysm through an anomalous anastomosis from the cavernousinternal carotid artery. J Neurosurg 97:1432–1435PubMed
15.
Hiruma T, Nakajima Y, Nakamura H (2002) Development of pharyngeal arch arteries in early mouse embryo. J Anat 201:15–29PubMedCrossRef
16.
Isherwood I, Dutton J (1969) Unusual anomaly of the anterior cerebral artery. Acta Radiol Diagn (Stockh) 9:345–351
17.
Janicki P, Limbacher JP, Guinto F (1979) Agenesis of the internal carotid artery with a primitive transsellar communicating artery. AJR 132:130–132PubMed
18.
Kessler LA (1979) Unusual anomaly of the anterior cerebral artery. Arch Neurol 36:509–511PubMed
19.
Kilic K, Orakdogen M, Bakirci A, Berkman Z (2005) Bilateral internal carotid to anterior cerebral artery anastomosis with anterior communicating artery aneurysm: technical case report. Neurosurgery 57(4 Suppl):E400PubMed
20.
Klein SL, Gahbauer H, Goodrich I (1987) Bilateral anomalous anterior cerebral artery and infraopticaneurysm. AJNR 8:1142–1143PubMed
21.
Ladzinski P, Maliszewski M, Majchrzak H (1997) The accessory anterior cerebral artery: case report and anatomic analysis of vascular anomaly. Surgical Neurol 48:171–174CrossRef
22.
Lasjaunias P, Berenstein A, Ter Brugge KG (2001) Surgical Neuroangiography, 2nd edn, volume 1. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York, p 3
23.
Lasjaunias P, Michotey P, Vignaud J, Clay C (1975) II. Radio-anatomie de la vascularisation artérielle de l’orbite, a l’exception du tronc de l’artère ophtalmique. Ann Radiol 18:181–194PubMed
24.
Lehmann G, Vincentelli F, Ebagosti A (1980) Rare abnormalities of the circle of Willis: Infra-optic pathway of the anterior cerebral arteries. Neurochirurgie 26:243–246PubMed
25.
Maurer J, Maurer E, Perneczky A (1991) Surgically verified variations in the A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery. J Neurosurg 75:950–953PubMed
26.
27.
McLaughlin N, Bojanowski M (2007) Infraoptic course of anterior cerebral arteries associated with abnormal gyral segmentation. J Neurosurg 107:430–434PubMedCrossRef
28.
Mercier P, Velut S, Fournier D, Lescalie F, Guy G, Pillet J, Cronier P (1989) A rare embryologic variation: carotid–anterior cerebral artery anastomosis or infraoptic course of the anterior cerebral artery. Surg Radiol Anat 11:73–77PubMedCrossRef
29.
Milenkovic Z (1981) Anastomosis between internal carotid artery and anterior cerebral artery with other anomalies of the circle of Willis in a fetal brain. J Neurosurg 55:701–703PubMed
30.
Moffat DB (1961) The development of the anterior cerebral artery and its related vessels in the rat. Am J Anat 108:17–30CrossRef
31.
Moffat DB (1962) The embryology of the arteries of the brain. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 30:368–82PubMed
32.
Nutik S, Dilenge D (1976) Carotid–anterior cerebral artery anastomosis: Case report. J Neurosurg 44:378–382PubMed
33.
Odake G (1988) Carotid–anterior cerebral artery anastomosis with aneurysm: case report and review of the literature. Neurosurgery 23:654–658PubMedCrossRef
34.
Ogura K, Hasegawa K, Kobayashi T, Kohno M, Hondo H (1998) A case of bilateral infraoptic course of ACA associated with multiple cerebral artery aneurysms. No Shinkei Geka 26:525–530PubMed
35.
Onishi H, Yamashita J, Enkaku F, Fujisawa H (1992) Anomalous origin of the anterior cerebral artery and congenital skull dysplasia—case report. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 32:296–299CrossRef
36.
O’Rahilly R, Müller F (2006) The embryonic human brain, 3rd edn. Wiley, New Jersey, p 70, 112, 203, 253, 288
37.
Padget DH (1948) The development of the cranial arteries in the human embryo. Contri Embryol 32:205–261
38.
Robinson LR (1959) An unusual human anterior cerebral artery. J Anat 93:131–133PubMed
39.
Rosenørn J, Ahlgren P, Rønde F (1985) Pre-optic origin of the anterior cerebral artery. Neuroradiology 27:275–277PubMedCrossRef
40.
Sasaki T, Usami T, Takeda R, Nakagawa J, Sato S, Nakamura J, Suematsu K (1984) Three cases of infra-optic course of anterior cerebral artery. No Shinkei Geka 12:953–958PubMed
41.
Senter HJ, Miller DJ (1982) Interoptic course of the anterior cerebral artery associated with anterior cerebral artery aneurysm. J Neurosurg 56:302–304PubMed
42.
Sheehy JP, Kendall BE, Thomas DGT (1983) Infraoptic course of the anterior cerebral artery associated with a pituitary tumour. Surg Neurol 20:97–99PubMedCrossRef
43.
Spinnato S, Pasqualin A, Chioffi F, Da Pian R (1999) Infraoptic course of the anterior cerebral artery associated with an anterior communicating artery aneurysm: anatomic case report and embryological considerations. Neurosurgery 44:1315–1319PubMedCrossRef
44.
Streeter GL (1918) The developmental alterations in the vascular system of the brain of the human embryo. Contri Embryol 8:5–38
45.
Takeshita M, Kubo O, Onda H, Nagao T, Kawamata T, Uchinuno H, Nitta M, Yamamura K, Kagawa M (1991) A case showing the infraoptic course of the anterior cerebral artery associated with anterior cerebral artery aneurysm. No Shinkei Geka 19:871–876PubMed
46.
Tamargo R, Haroun RI, Rigamonti D (2004) Anterior communicating artery and anterior cerebral artery aneurysms. In: Winn HR, Dacey RG (eds) Youmans neurological surgery. vol. 2. 5th edn. SaundersPhiladelphiap 1923
47.
Teal JS, Rumbaugh CL, Segall HD, Bergeron RT (1973) Anomalous branches of the internal carotid artery. Radiology 106:567–573PubMed
48.
Turnbull I (1975) Agenesis of the internal carotid artery. Neurology 12:588–590
49.
Ushioda T, Okumura K, Higuchi J, Okuno T, Shiga H, Ohra T, Sato S (1984) A case of internal carotid-anterior cerebral artery anastomosis. Neuroradiology 25:78–79
50.
Yasargil MG (1984) Microneurosurgery, volume 1. George Thieme Verlag, New York, p 97
51.
Yasargil MG (1984) Microneurosurgery, volume 1. George Thieme Verlag, New York, pp 280–320
52.
Yasargil MG (1987) Microneurosurgery, volume 3A. George Thieme Verlag, New York, pp 49–56
Metadata
Title
Infraoptic anterior cerebral artery: review, report of two cases and an anatomical classification
Authors
S. T. Wong
S. C. Yuen
K. F. Fok
K. Y. Yam
D. Fong
Publication date
01-10-2008
Publisher
Springer Vienna
Published in
Acta Neurochirurgica / Issue 10/2008
Print ISSN: 0001-6268
Electronic ISSN: 0942-0940
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-008-0016-4

Other articles of this Issue 10/2008

Acta Neurochirurgica 10/2008 Go to the issue

Experimental Research

Can TGF-β1 and rhBMP-2 act in synergy to transform bone marrow stem cells to discogenic-type cells?

Clinical Article

Antibiotic impregnated external ventricular drainage and third ventriculostomy in the management of hydrocephalus associated with posterior cranial fossa tumours

Clinical Article

Comparison of navigated 3D ultrasound findings with histopathology in subsequent phases of glioblastoma resection

Letter to the Editor

Negative pressure suction from subgaleal drainage: bradycardia and decreased consciousness

Brief Report of a Special Case

Fronto-ethmoidal encephalozele in a historical skull with artificial deformation and no signs of chronic elevated intracranial pressure

Clinical Article

Cell proliferation index predicts relapse of brain metastases in non-irradiated patients