Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ophthalmic artery arising from the presumed meningohypophyseal trunk of the cavernous internal carotid artery diagnosed by magnetic resonance angiography

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to describe a case of ophthalmic artery (OA) arising from the presumed meningohypophyseal trunk (MHT) of the cavernous internal carotid artery (ICA).

Case report

A 63-year-old woman suspected of having cerebral infarctions underwent cranial magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR angiography. MR angiography showed a right OA that was found to arise from the superolateral aspect of the proximal cavernous ICA. This OA entered the orbit via the superior orbital fissure (SOF).

Discussion

Rarely, an OA arises from the inferior aspect of the middle cavernous ICA at the level of the inferolateral trunk (ILT) and enters the orbit via the SOF. This OA variation was traditionally regarded as a persistent primitive dorsal OA but is now believed to be due to the persistence of the lateral branch of the primitive maxillary artery. The present case had an OA arising from the superolateral aspect of the more proximal cavernous ICA than the origin of the ILT, which was suggested to be the origin of the MHT. Persistence of the proximal segment of the trigeminal artery may play an important role in the formation of this extremely rare variation.

Conclusion

To identify this extremely rare OA variation, careful observation of source images and the creation of volume-rendering MR angiography images are important.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Source images of MR angiography (a–d) show that the origin of the right OA is the superolateral aspect of the proximal cavernous ICA (long arrows), at the level of the presumed meningohypophyseal trunk. This artery enters the orbit via the superior orbital fissure (short arrow)

Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of data and materials

Not applicable.

References

  1. Bertelli E, Regoli M, Bracco S (2017) An update on the variations of the orbital blood supply and hemodynamic. Surg Radiol Anat 39:485–496. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-016-1776-9

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Bonasia S, Bojanowski M, Robert T (2020) Embryology and anatomical variations of the ophthalmic artery. Neuroradiology 62:139–152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-019-02336-4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. N’da HA, Peltier J, Zunon-Kipré Y, Alsaiari S, Foulon P, Legars D, Havet E, (2014) An unusual superolateral origin of ophthalmic artery: an anatomic case report. Surg Radiol Anat 36:95–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-013-1132-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Ohshiro S, Inoue T, Hamada Y, Matsuno H (1993) Branches of the persistent primitive trigeminal artery–an autopsy case. Neurosurgery 32:144–148. https://doi.org/10.1227/00006123-199301000-00025

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Parlato C, di Nuzzo G, Luongo M, Tortora F, Briganti F (2011) Anatomical variant of origin of ophthalmic artery: case report. Surg Radiol Anat 33:275–278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-010-0745-y

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Rivera R, Choi IS, Sordo JG, Giacaman P, Badilla L, Bravo E, Echeverria D (2015) Unusual origin of the left ophthalmic artery from the basilar trunk. Surg Radiol Anat 37:399–401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-014-1327-1

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Uchino A (2021) Intracavernous internal carotid artery-originating ophthalmic artery entering the orbit via the optic canal. Surg Radiol Anat 43:1967–1968. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-021-02835-1

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Uchino A, Saito N, Ikeda S, Ishihara S (2015) Ophthalmic artery arising from the anterior cerebral artery diagnosed by MR angiography. Surg Radiol Anat 37:1009–1012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-015-1441-8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Uchino A, Saito N, Kurita H, Ishihara S (2013) Double ophthalmic arteries arising from the internal carotid artery. Surg Radiol Anat 35:173–175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-012-1005-0

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Uchino A, Saito N, Takahashi M, Kozawa E, Mizukoshi W, Nakajima R, Okano N (2013) Persistent dorsal ophthalmic artery and ophthalmic artery arising from the middle meningeal artery diagnosed by MR angiography at 3 T. Surg Radiol Anat 35:775–782. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-013-1085-5

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Willinsky R, Lasjaunias P, Berenstein A (1987) Intracavernous branches of the internal carotid artery (ICA). comprehensive review of their variations. Surg Radiol Anat 9:201–215. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02109631

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Not applicable.

Funding

The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Saitama Sekishinkai Hospital, 2-37-20 Irumagawa Sayama, Saitama, 350-1305, Japan

    Akira Uchino

  2. Department of Neuroendovascular Therapy, Saitama Sekishinkai Hospital, 2-37-20 Irumagawa Sayama, Saitama, 350-1305, Japan

    Shoichiro Ishihara

Authors
  1. Akira Uchino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shoichiro Ishihara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

AU carried out the study design and drafted the manuscript. AU and SI reviewed the manuscript critically, and have read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Akira Uchino.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Not applicable.

Ethical approval and consent to participate

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Consent for publication

The patient signed informed consent regarding publishing his data and photographs.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Uchino, A., Ishihara, S. Ophthalmic artery arising from the presumed meningohypophyseal trunk of the cavernous internal carotid artery diagnosed by magnetic resonance angiography. Surg Radiol Anat 44, 1025–1028 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-022-02975-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-022-02975-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation