Bilaterally absent posterior inferior cerebellar artery: case report

Abstract

Posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) is one of the cerebellar arteries which originates from the vertebral artery and has the most complex and variable course. The PICA usually originates from the vertebral artery intracranially as a single trunk, however, absent, double trunk, extracranial, and extradural PICA may also exist. In a collection of 50 cerebellar specimens (100 hemispheres) injected with colored gelatin, one case of bilaterally absent PICA was encountered, male aged 59 (causes of the death was not taken into consideration).

Coiling for a saccular aneurysm on the caudal channel in double origin of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery

“…16 The PICA shows many variations in morphology and course. 14,17 Variations of the PICA include absent, single trunk, duplication, fenestration and DOPICA. [17][18][19][20][21][22] Other variations include VA termination of the PICA, 23 extradural origin at the C-1 and C-2 level and origin from the hypoglossal, pro-atlantal and posterior meningeal arteries.…”

“…14,17 Variations of the PICA include absent, single trunk, duplication, fenestration and DOPICA. [17][18][19][20][21][22] Other variations include VA termination of the PICA, 23 extradural origin at the C-1 and C-2 level and origin from the hypoglossal, pro-atlantal and posterior meningeal arteries. 17,24 Among them, DOPICA is a rare anatomical variation 1,2,4,7,11,12,22,24,25 that was first described by Stopford in 1916, and that reportedly occurs in 1/150 individuals.…”

“…[17][18][19][20][21][22] Other variations include VA termination of the PICA, 23 extradural origin at the C-1 and C-2 level and origin from the hypoglossal, pro-atlantal and posterior meningeal arteries. 17,24 Among them, DOPICA is a rare anatomical variation 1,2,4,7,11,12,22,24,25 that was first described by Stopford in 1916, and that reportedly occurs in 1/150 individuals. 26 DOPICA represents embryologic persistence of the anastomosis between a persistent lateral spinal artery (caudal channel) and the PICA proper, which forms the rostral component of DOPICA (cranial channel), 3 and has an incidence of 0.36-6% 1,2,4,7,11,12,24 according to a retrospective study report.…”