Arteries of the Head (Skull), Superior View

Description

Seen from a superior perspective within the male cranial cavity, the inner table of the calvaria frames a bilateral arterial pattern coursing along the dura and toward the cerebral surface. The middle meningeal artery and its anterior and posterior divisions fan laterally across the parietal and temporal regions, while the internal carotid arteries ascend more centrally to feed the anterior and middle cerebral circulations. Around the sellar and suprasellar region, the circle of Willis forms a midline arterial ring linking the anterior cerebral arteries via the anterior communicating artery and connecting posteriorly to the posterior cerebral arteries through the posterior communicating arteries. Blue venous channels track in the dural reflections and along the cranial vault, consistent with the superior sagittal sinus in the midline and paired transverse and sigmoid sinuses posterolaterally. A superior intracranial view makes the relationship between calvarial landmarks and the meningeal vasculature easy to teach, and it is the clearest way to appreciate how the middle meningeal branches run deep to the pterion. That location matters clinically because a temporal bone fracture can lacerate the anterior branch and produce an epidural hematoma with rapid mass effect. The same orientation also helps when explaining aneurysm patterns around the circle of Willis, including anterior communicating artery aneurysms that can compress the optic chiasm and disturb visual fields. This is where hemorrhage propagates. Use this artwork in neuroanatomy and head and neck courses when correlating dural blood supply with skull fractures, or in neurosurgery and neuroradiology teaching files to orient trainees to superior projections used in CT angiography and catheter angiography. It also suits publication figures on epidural hematoma, meningeal artery embolization, and common intracranial aneurysm sites. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.