Unusual anatomic variation: The posterior inferior cerebellar artery arising from the middle meningeal artery

Abstract

An adult patient was admitted to our emergency department for a first episode of generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging showed a temporal intracranial hemorrhage and parenchymal edema caused by a dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF), whose angioarchitecture was better understood through the DSA which showed as intriguing and rare vascular anomaly the origin of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) from the middle meningeal artery (MMA). The endovascular treatment of the DAVF was then successfully performed.

This case describes the first case of a PICA arising from the MMA in the literature and highlights as an accurate knowledge of vascular anatomy and its variations is essential for the endovascular treatment of the cerebrovascular diseases.