Extracranial branches of the middle meningeal artery.

We present a case of unusual extracranial branches of the middle meningeal artery. The middle meningeal artery originated from the medial side of the maxillary artery and entered the skull through the foramen spinosum. The posterior superior alveolar artery originated from the middle meningeal artery, gave rise to the pterygoid branch, and entered the maxilla. In addition, the bifurcation of the common carotid artery was at the level of the second cervical vertebra. The embryogenesis of such rare branching pattern of the middle meningeal artery is not clear, but the anatomical consequences may have clinical implications. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.