Applied anatomy of important perforating branches of the Willis circle anterior artery

Objective To study the detailed microsurgical anatomic features of the perforating branches of the Willis circle anterior artery to provide evidence for clinical operation.Methods The perforating branches of the Willis circle anterior artery in sellar region in 15 cadaveric heads were observed and measured via transpterional approach under microscope.Results Superior hypophyseal artery(SHA) of single-branch and multi-branch arose from the ophthalmic segment of the internal carotid artery(ICA).It mainly supplied the infundibulum,the inferior aspect of the optic chasm and the optic nerve.The recurrent artery of Heubner(RAH) was the thickest branch of the anterior cerebral artery(ACA).Great variations were found in the location of its origin,path,and quantity;the ordinal location of its origin was the ACA-A2 segment,anterior communicating artery segment,near 1/3 of the ACA-A1 segment.Few perforating arteries were found within middle 1/3 of the ACA-A1 segment.The premammillary artery(PremA) was the thickest and the most permanent branch of posterior communicating artery(PCoA),and supplied the triangular area formed by fornicis bulla,cerebral caudex,and oculomotor nerve.Anterior choroidal artery(AchA) had common distribution range and content complementarity with the branches of PCoA.Conclusion Well understanding of the microsurgical anatomy of the perforating branches of the Willis circle anterior artery and perfect protection of the branches are crucial to avoiding the serious operative complications.