Intrinsic Arterial and Venous Territories of the Brain Stem

Abstract

The arteries and veins of the brain stem form four groups of penetrating parenchymal vessels: the anteromedial, anterolateral, lateral, and posterior arterial and venous groups (Figs. 7.1 to 7.3). Each group irrigates or drains the corresponding anteromedial, anterolateral, lateral or posterior territory within the substance of the brain stem. These territories were evaluated and demarcated by detailed study of one brain stem whose blood vessels were injected with India ink. Thereafter, serial sections of several millimeters’thickness were cleared by immersion in a methylsalycilate and benzyl benzoate solution (Spalteholz’s method), so that the individual arteries and veins could be traced through the parenchyma under a stereoscopic microscope.The results of that study form the basis for the vascular territories illustrated. Since the intrinsic vascular territories were analyzed in detail in only one brain stem, the territories illustrated in this section may not be completely typical. However, further less-detailed examination of ten other brain stems gives reasonable basis to assume that the brain stem studied is a representative example. See [24, 121, 122, 179, 278, 288, 322, 375, 428] for more information about the intrinsic vascular territories of the brain stem and [7, 13, 24, 33, 42, 46, 90, 108, 135, 169, 187, 190, 232, 234, 288, 366, 437, 450, 487] for additional information about brain stem infarctions.