anterior inferior cerebellar artery

The anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) is one of three vessels that provides arterial blood supply to the cerebellum. It has a variable origin, course and supply, with up to 40% of specimens not having an identifiable standard AICA. The amount of tissue supplied by the AICA is variable (AICA-PICA dominance) but usually includes:

• middle cerebellar peduncle
• inferolateral portion of the pons
• flocculus
• anteroinferior surface of the cerebellum
• cranial nerves VII and VIII

Origin 

99% of AICAs arise from the basilar artery, but where along the vessel is variable:

• 75% lower third
• 16% middle third
• 9% vertebrobasilar junction

Branches

• internal auditory branch (80% single, 20% double) passes into the IAM
• lateral branch passes around the flocculus and into the hemispheric fissure (supplying both superior and inferior semilunar lobules)
• medial branch supplies the biventral lobule

Before cross-sectional imaging, the AICA (along with venous displacement) was used to identify posterior fossa intra- or extra-axial masses, especially at the CP angle. Extra-axial masses (e.g. vestibular schwannomas or meningiomas) would displace the vessel whereas intra-axial masses tend not to.

Siehe auch:

• Meningeom
• Cerebellum
• Arteria basilaris
• Vestibularisschwannom
• Arteria cerebelli inferior posterior (PICA)
• IAM
• CP angle
• neurovaskuläres Kompressionssyndrom Kleinhirnbrückenwinkel

und weiter:

• AICA loop
• Nervus facialis
• posterior cerebral circulation
• Kleinhirninfarkt
• arterielle Versorgungsgebiete des Gehirns
• neuroradiologisches Curriculum
• Nervus abducens
• Arteria cerebelli superior
• pontine arteries
• AICA infarction