[Radiologic anatomy of the labyrinth artery]

Carotid and vertebral angiographic investigations were performed to study x-ray anatomy of the artery of the labyrinth (AL) in 96 inpatients admitted to the N. F. Sklifosovsky emergency care clinic. According to the angiograms, AL originated from the distal parts of the inferior anterior cerebellar artery in 66.3% of the patients. In this case it has a straight form. When initiating from the proximal parts of the basilar artery (33.7% of the patients), AL was shorter (0.8 +/- 0.3 against 2.5 +/- 0.8 cm) and curved. In any case AL was situated along the upper edge of the pyramid before it entered the internal acoustic meatus. By the meatus or inside it AL forms a characteristic loop or semiloop. A complete AL left-right symmetry was observed in 61.8% of the cases.