Bilateral thalamoperforating arteries arising from the unilateral posterior cerebral artery revealed on 3.0-tesla MR imaging

摘要

The thalamoperforating artery (TPA), also referred as the para-median thalamic artery or thalamic-subthalamic artery, arises from the proximal P1 peduncular segment of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) and supplies the posteromedial thalami. The thalamoperforating arteries of both sides may often arise from the P1 on one side, either as a single trunk or as two separate closely related vessels, thus supplying the thalamus bilaterally. Here, a patient is described in whom 3.0-tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) clearly showed bilateral TPA arising from the unilateral posterior cerebral artery. In this patient, we could sensibly account for the association between the neurological symptoms and the vascular anatomy of the perforating arteries.