The middle meningeal artery (MMA) is the largest branch of the internal maxillary artery supplying the meninges. The complex sequence of MMA development gives many opportunities for variant anatomy. Additionally, the variations in the origin of the MMA are of clinical importance when dealing with fractures of the base of the skull, epidural hematomas, and bypass procedures. Therefore, various anastomosis and aberrant origins of the MMA have been documented in literature. However, there are no reports about some morphometric aspects of this important arterial segment. Thus, in this study, we decided to investigate the anatomical organization of the MMA through the bony groove measurements from human skulls (n = 50 subjects). Six measurements were performed bilaterally: angle of the main trunk, length of the main trunk, angle between the frontal and parietal branches, length of the frontal branch, length of the parietal branch, and length of the bony tunnel formed by the frontal branch. We showed that the anatomical organization of the MMA is bilaterally similar, except for the length of the parietal branch (p = 0.009). Moreover, our results provide baseline normal values for future studies aimed at further elucidating the functional and morphological pattern of the MMA.
IntroductionWe evaluated with transit time flow the performance of the right and left thoracic
arteries when used as a graft for the left anterior descending artery.MethodsFifty patients undergoing surgery for myocardial revascularization without
cardiopulmonary bypass were divided into two groups. In group A patients received
graft of right internal mammary artery to the anterior interventricular branch. In
group B patients received graft of left internal mammary artery to the same
branch. At the end of the operation the flow was assessed by measuring transit
time.ResultsIn group A, mean age was 60.6±9.49 years. The average height and weight of the
group was 80.4±10.32 kg and 169.2±6.86 cm. The average number of grafts per
patient in this group was 3.28±1.49. The mean flow and distal resistance obtained
in right internal thoracic artery was 42.1±23.4 ml/min and 2.8±0.9 respectively.
In group B, the mean age was 59.8±9.7 years. The average height and weight of this
group was 77.7±14.22 kg and 166.0±8.2 cm. The average number of grafts per patient
in this group was 3.08 ±0.82. The mean flow and distal resistance observed in this
group was 34.2±19.1 ml/min and 2.0±0.7. There were no deaths in this series.ConclusionRight internal mammary artery presented a similar behavior to left internal
mammary artery when anastomosed to the anterior interventricular branch of the
left coronary artery. There was no statistical difference between the measured
flow obtained between both arteries.
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