[The persistent trigeminal artery as evidenced by multislice spiral computed tomographic angiography]

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Vascular Anatomy
• Cerebrovascular Diseases

Background:

• The persistent trigeminal artery (PTA) is a rare congenital vascular anomaly.
• Understanding its incidence and associated cerebrovascular findings is crucial for clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence of PTA.
• To investigate the relationship between PTA and cerebral aneurysms.
• To describe concomitant anatomic features of cerebral arteries in patients with PTA.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 1041 brachiocephalic artery CTAs.
• Identification of PTA and cerebral aneurysms.
• Assessment of the Circle of Willis anatomy.

Main Results:

• PTA was identified in 0.58% of patients (6/1041).
• Cerebral aneurysm was found in only one patient with PTA, concurrent with contralateral A1 segment hypoplasia.
• Hypoplasia of the basilar artery (BA) and vertebral arteries (VA) was observed in 60% of PTA cases, inversely related to PTA diameter.

Conclusions:

• The incidence of PTA is 0.58%.
• PTA was not convincingly linked to cerebral aneurysms in this cohort.
• PTA is frequently associated with hypoplasia of the vertebrobasilar system.