The Proximal Anterior Cerebral Artery: An Anatomic Study

Clinically, the majority of congenitally small or occluded anterior cerebral arteries involve the first portion of this vessel from its junction with the internal carotid to the anterior communicating artery. The impetus for this paper was derived from the belief that the symptomatology of anterior cerebral artery occlusion was confined to that area supplied by the first portion of this vessel.1 The gross anatomy of the first portion of the anterior cerebral artery has been adequately described by many authors, the earliest being Heubner,2Beevor,3and Ayer.4More recently Shellshear,5Critchley,6Alexander,7and Kaplan8,9have made contributions to the anatomical studies. In France, Lazorthes,10and Foix and Hillemand11have also described the general anatomy. The anterior cerebral artery in its first course gives off 8 to 12 small branches from its superior aspect which arise at right angles and perforate,