Superior cerebellar artery

The superior cerebellar artery (SCA) arises near the termination of the basilar artery.[1]

This article is about the blood vessel in the head. For other uses, see SCA (disambiguation).
Superior cerebellar artery
The three major arteries of the cerebellum: the SCA, AICA, and PICA.
The arterial circle and arteries of the brain. (Superior cerebellar artery labeled at center right.)
Details
Sourcebasilar artery
VeinSuperior cerebellar veins
SuppliesCerebellum
Identifiers
LatinArteria cerebelli superior
TA98A12.2.08.025
TA24563
FMA50573
Anatomical terminology

Structure

It passes lateralward, immediately below the oculomotor nerve, which separates it from the posterior cerebral artery, winds around the cerebral peduncle, close to the trochlear nerve, and, arriving at the upper surface of the cerebellum, divides into branches which ramify in the pia mater and anastomose with those of the anterior and posterior inferior cerebellar arteries.

Several branches are given to the pineal body, the anterior medullary velum, and the tela chorioidea of the third ventricle.

Function
The arteries of the base of the brain. Superior cerebellar artery labeled near center. The temporal pole of the cerebrum and a portion of the cerebellar hemisphere have been removed on the right side (left half of diagram). Inferior aspect (viewed from below).

The artery supplies:

  • Superior half of the cerebellum
  • Parts of the midbrain

Clinical significance

The SCA is frequently the cause of trigeminal neuralgia, where it compresses the trigeminal nerve causing lancinating pain in the distribution of this nerve on the patient's face. However, at autopsy, 50% of people without trigeminal neuralgia will also be noted to have vascular compression of the nerve.[2]

See also
This article uses anatomical terminology.

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 580 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

  1. Refer to diagrams.
  2. Handbook of Neurosurgery, Greenberg, M.D., Thieme 2006
  • Handbook of Neurosurgery, Greenberg, M.D., Thieme 2006
  • Anatomy figure: 28:02-07 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center
  • http://neuroangio.org/anatomy-and-variants/superior-cerebellar-artery/
  • "Anatomy diagram: 13048.000-1". Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator. Elsevier. Archived from the original on 2014-01-01.
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