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J Neurol Surg B Skull Base 2019; 80(05): 480-483
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1676353
Original Article
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Bony Tunnel Formation Associated with the Distal Segment of the Frontal Branch of the Middle Meningeal Artery

Deivis de Campos
1   Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
2   Departamento de Biologia e Farmácia, Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil
3   Programa de Pós-Graduação em Promoção da Saúde, Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil
,
Caroline Haubert da Silveira
2   Departamento de Biologia e Farmácia, Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil
,
Geraldo Pereira Jotz
4   Departamento de Ciências Morfológicas, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
5   Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
,
Tais Malysz
4   Departamento de Ciências Morfológicas, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
6   Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

30 June 2018

27 September 2018

Publication Date:
03 December 2018 (online)

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Abstract

The knowledge of certain anatomical variations is fundamental and any surgeon who operates without that knowledge may encounter difficulty during surgery. In this context, there is the middle meningeal artery (MMA) which also engenders considerable clinical interest due to its location. The MMA is predominantly periosteal, irrigating the bone and dura mater. It enters the floor of the middle cranial fossa through the foramen spinosum, travels laterally through a middle fossa bony ridge, and curves anteriorly over the upper-greater wing of the sphenoid where it divides into parietal and frontal branches at a variable point. Occasionally, the distal segment of the frontal branch may pass through a bony tunnel of variable size. To the best of our knowledge, there is no evidence in the current literature on the incidence of this rare bony tunnel. Therefore, we decided to investigate the incidence of this bony tunnel in 85 dry skulls of adults (both genders) belonging to the didactic collection of the Human Anatomy Laboratory of the Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil. All the skulls were examined bilaterally for the presence or absence of the bony tunnel associated with the distal segment of the frontal branch of the MMA. Of the 85 skulls analyzed, the bony tunnel was present on the right side in 1.18% and on the left side in 5.88% (p = 0.045). Thus, in the studied sample, there was a significant tendency for this bony tunnel to be formed on the left side.

Keywords

middle meningeal artery - bony tunnel - embryology - skull
 

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