Multiplane postmortem cerebral computed angiotomography. I. Normal anatomy of cerebral vessels on the axial plane

Cranial computed tomography has been mainly used for detection of a parenchymal space-occupying lesion, and has had the limitation of detection of the cerebrovascular lesion itself because of low CT resolution. However, high-resolution CT-scanners have recently brought us the possibility of definition of fine cerebral vessels on CT images, using an appropriate injection method of contrast agents (cerebral computed angiotomography This paper concerns the normal anatomy of the cerebral vasculature on CT images using 9 fresh cadavers with normal intracranial structures. They received a postmortem injection of contrast agents through the bilateral common carotid and vertebral arteries, and multiplane CT-scanning with axial, modified coronal, Towne (half-axial) and semisagittal projections using GE-CT/T 8800 (9.6 sec scanning time, 320 x 320 matrices) was undertaken. The normal anatomy of cerebral vessels on the axial plane, obtained at the levels 10 to 90 mm above the canthomeatal line, is presented in this paper. Main visualized vessels in the posterior fossa were the basilar artery, the cranial loop of the PICA (posterior inferior cerebellar artery, the AICA (anterior inferior cerebellar artery) from the origin to the hemispheric branches including the meatal loop in the cerebellopontine angle cistern, and the SCA (superior cerebellar artery) from the ambient and quadrigeminal segments to the lateral marginal and superior hemispheric branches. The circle of Willis and other main cerebral arteries were clearly visualized with their small branches, for example, the posterior communicating, the anterior choroidal, and the lenticulostriate arteries. Deep cerebral veins were also visualized at the levels of the midbrain, the middle and the roof of the third ventricle, and the body of the lateral ventricle. Postmortem cerebral computed-angiotomography provided us not only the precise anatomy of the cerebral vasculatures, but also their anatomic relations with the surrounding structures, such as cerebral parenchyma, ventricles, cisterns and other subarachnoid spaces. From the clinical point of view, cerebral computed-angiotomography can be applied to the screening system of vascular lesions themselves, such as asymptomatic aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and Moyamoya disease.