Unusual Course of the Accessory Meningeal Artery

Abstract

This case report describes a variation in the course of the accessory meningeal artery relative to the mandibular nerve in the infratemporal fossa. An accessory meningeal artery running superficially to the posterior division of mandibular nerve was found bilaterally in the cadaver of a 95-year-old male. It was observed by a topographic examination followed by a detailed dissection. The accessory meningeal artery arose from the middle meningeal artery. It then passed upward and coursed superficial to the posterior division of the mandibular nerve before its division into the lingual and inferior alveolar nerves. The accessory meningeal artery subsequently ran deep and rostral to the anterior and posterior divisions of the mandibular nerve, respectively, before entering the foramen ovale. The variation in the course of the accessory meningeal artery described herein should be helpful for surgeons in approaches to the foramen ovale region and infratemporal fossa.