A 25-year-old involved in a road traffic accident develops a lucid interval followed by rapid deterioration and loss of consciousness. CT brain shows a biconvex (lenticular) hyperdense haematoma temporally with a midline shift. The middle meningeal artery — responsible for the haematoma — is a branch of which parent vessel and runs in which layer?

• A Branch of the ophthalmic artery; runs in the subdural space
• B Branch of the anterior cerebral artery; runs between dura and arachnoid
• C Branch of the maxillary artery (from external carotid); runs in the extradural (epidural) space between the dura and inner table of the skull ✓
• D Branch of the internal carotid artery; runs within the dura mater itself

Explanation

The middle meningeal artery is a branch of the maxillary artery (the second division of the external carotid artery), enters the skull through the foramen spinosum, and courses between the dura mater and the inner table of the temporal bone in the extradural (epidural) space. A blow to the temporal region — the thinnest part of the skull — can fracture the bone and tear this artery, producing an extradural haematoma that accumulates in the potential space between the dura and skull, creating the characteristic biconvex shape and lucid interval on history.

Reference: BD Chaurasia's Human Anatomy, 8th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.