Which artery may be damaged by a pterion fracture?

Which artery may be damaged by a pterion fracture?

• A. Middle meningeal artery
• B. Anterior cerebral artery
• C. Posterior inferior cerebellar artery
• D. Internal carotid artery

Answer: (A)

A pterion fracture most commonly threatens the middle meningeal artery. The pterion is the thin region where the frontal, parietal, temporal bones and sphenoid meet, and just beneath it the middle meningeal artery runs in the dura and enters the cranial cavity through the foramen spinosum. If a fracture crosses this area, the artery can be torn, allowing arterial blood to accumulate rapidly in the epidural space, producing an epidural hematoma. The other arteries aren’t located directly under the pterion: the anterior cerebral artery runs medially on the brain’s surface, the posterior inferior cerebellar artery is in the posterior fossa, and the internal carotid artery lies deeper and more central rather than beneath the pterion.

A pterion fracture most commonly threatens the middle meningeal artery. The pterion is the thin region where the frontal, parietal, temporal bones and sphenoid meet, and just beneath it the middle meningeal artery runs in the dura and enters the cranial cavity through the foramen spinosum. If a fracture crosses this area, the artery can be torn, allowing arterial blood to accumulate rapidly in the epidural space, producing an epidural hematoma. The other arteries aren’t located directly under the pterion: the anterior cerebral artery runs medially on the brain’s surface, the posterior inferior cerebellar artery is in the posterior fossa, and the internal carotid artery lies deeper and more central rather than beneath the pterion.