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. 2013:2013:873434.
doi: 10.1155/2013/873434. Epub 2013 Jul 9.

The variable origin of the recurrent artery of Heubner: an anatomical and morphometric study

Hisham El Falougy  1 , Petra Selmeciova, Eliska Kubikova, Zora Haviarová
Affiliations

The variable origin of the recurrent artery of Heubner: an anatomical and morphometric study

Hisham El Falougy et al. Biomed Res Int. 2013.

Abstract

The recurrent artery of Heubner (RAH) is the largest vessel of the medial lenticulostriate arteries. It supplies many deep structures, mainly the corpus striatum, the globus pallidus, and the anterior crus of the internal capsule. The aim of the present paper was studying the morphological variations of the RAH and its diameter in relation to different areas of origin. The series contained the records from 183 formalin-fixed adult human brains. The calibrated digital images of the studied brains were evaluated and measured by Image J, which can calculate the number of pixels and convert them to metric measures. The RAH arose most often from the postcommunicating part of the anterior cerebral artery (47.81%). It originated from the precommunicating part of the anterior cerebral artery in 3.55% and at the level of the anterior communicating artery in 43.4% of cases. The RAH was missing in 5.19% and doubled in 6.28% of cases. The mean outer diameter of the RAH was 0.6 mm. The maximal measured diameter was 1.34 mm, and the minimal diameter was 0.19 mm. The awareness of the various anatomical and morphometric variations of the RAH is essential in planning the neurosurgical procedures to avoid unexpected neurological complications.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The areas of origin of the recurrent artery of Heubner. (a) The right recurrent artery of Heubner (RRAH) arose from A2; the left vessel (LRAH) originated at the junction of ACA-ACoA. (b) The right recurrent artery of Heubner (RRAH) originated from A1; the left vessel (LRAH) arose from A2. A1—precommunicating part of anterior cerebral artery (ACA); A2—postcommunicating part of ACA; ACoA—anterior communicating artery; IC—internal carotid artery; PCoA—posterior communicating artery; PCA—posterior cerebral artery; BA—basilar artery.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Double recurrent artery of Heubner (RAH). (a) Double RAH with different points of origin (arrow heads); single RAH (arrow). (b) Bilateral doubled RAH originating as one stem and later bifurcated (arrow). A1—precommunicating part of anterior cerebral artery (ACA); A2—postcommunicating part of ACA; ACoA—anterior communicating artery; IC—internal carotid artery; PCoA—posterior communicating artery; PCA—posterior cerebral artery; BA—basilar artery.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a), (b), and (c) illustrate the areas of origin of the recurrent artery of Heubner (black arrow). (a) The RAH originated from the precommunicating part (A1) of the anterior cerebral artery. (b) The RAH originated at the level of the anterior communicating artery (ACoA). (c) The RAH originated from the postcommunicating part (A2) of the anterior cerebral artery. (d) and (e) illustrate the double recurrent artery of Heubner. (d) The double RAH originated from different points. (e) The double RAH originated as one stem, which later bifurcated.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparison of the diameter (mean ± SEM) of the studied RAHs according to their origin from ACA.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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