Variant origin of the superior cerebellar artery in a black {Kenyan} population

Abstract

Knowledge of variant origin of the superior cere- bellar artery is important during neuroradiological and neurosurgical procedures at the basilar termi- nation and clivus regions, and may influence the occurrence of atherosclerosis and aneurysms. These variations show ethnic differences, but there are hardly any reports on the black African popula- tion. This study therefore examined the various origins of 394 superior cerebellar arteries from 17 3 brains of black adult Kenyans, obtained during au- topsy at the Department of Human Anatomy, Uni- versity of Nairobi, Kenya. The cranial cavity was opened and the brain removed en bloc . Arachnoid matter was gently removed to expose the arteries at the base of the brain. The distal third of the b asi- lar artery was exposed and superior cerebellar artery identified as that which supplied the superi or surface of the cerebellar hemispheres. It was traced to its origin and the source recorded. Rep- resentative patterns were photographed with a high resolution digital camera. The data were ana- lyzed for frequency and are presented in macro- graphs and a table. The conventional single artery origin from the basilar artery was present in only 284 (72.1%) cases. In the remainder, it was dupli- cated in 84 (21.3%), originated from posterior cer- ebral artery in 16 (4.0%) and from common trunk with posterior cerebral artery in 10 (2.5%) cases. Variant origin of the superior cerebellar artery oc - curred in nearly 28% of cases studied. This influ- ences the pattern of termination of the basilar ar- tery, may complicate posterior cranial fossa sur gery and predispose to atherosclerosis and aneu- rysms. Preoperative evaluation of the superior cer- ebellar artery is recommended.