The superior cerebellar artery (SCA) arises near the termination of the basilar artery.

It passes lateralward, immediately below the oculomotor nerve

Oculomotor nerve

The oculomotor nerve is the 3rd of 12 paired cranial nerves. It enters the orbit via the superior orbital fissure and controls most of the eye's movements, including constriction of the pupil and maintaining an open eyelid by innervating the Levator palpebrae superiors muscle. The optic nerve is...

, which separates it from the posterior cerebral artery

Posterior cerebral artery

-External links: - Posterior Cerebral Artery Stroke* at strokecenter.org* at State University of New York Upstate Medical University* at psyweb.com* at neuropat.dote.hu...

, winds around the cerebral peduncle

Cerebral peduncle

Mainly, the three common areas that give rise to the cerebral peduncles are the cortex, the spinal cord and the cerebellum. The cerebral peduncle, by most classifications, is everything in the mesencephalon except the tectum. The region includes the midbrain tegmentum, crus cerebri and pretectum...

, close to the trochlear nerve

Trochlear nerve

The trochlear nerve is a motor nerve that innervates a single muscle: the superior oblique muscle of the eye....

, and, arriving at the upper surface of the cerebellum

Cerebellum

The cerebellum is a region of the brain that plays an important role in motor control. It may also be involved in some cognitive functions such as attention and language, and in regulating fear and pleasure responses, but its movement-related functions are the most solidly established...

, divides into branches which ramify in the pia mater

Pia mater

Pia mater often referred to as simply the pia, is the delicate innermost layer of the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The word finds its roots in Latin, meaning literally "tender mother." The other two meningeal membranes are the dura mater and the arachnoid mater....

 and anastomose with those of the anterior

Anterior inferior cerebellar artery

The anterior inferior cerebellar artery arises from the basilar artery at the level of the junction between the medulla oblongata and the pons in the brainstem. It passes backward to be distributed to the anterior part of the undersurface of the cerebellum, anastomosing with the posterior inferior...

 and posterior inferior cerebellar arteries

Posterior inferior cerebellar artery

The posterior inferior cerebellar artery , the largest branch of the vertebral artery, is one of the three main arterial blood supplies for the cerebellum, part of the brain...

.

Several branches are given to the pineal body, the anterior medullary velum, and the tela chorioidea

Tela chorioidea

Tela chorioidea is a structure found in the ventricles of the brain:Types include:* Tela chorioidea of the third ventricle* Tela chorioidea of the fourth ventricle* Tela chorioidea of the lateral ventricle...

 of the third ventricle

Third ventricle

The third ventricle is one of four connected fluid-filled cavities comprising the ventricular system within the human brain. It is a median cleft between the two thalami, and is filled with cerebrospinal fluid ....

.

Pathology

The SCA is frequently the cause of trigeminal neuralgia, where it compresses the trigeminal nerve causing lancinating pain in the distribution of this nerve on the patient's face. However, at autopsy, 50% of people without trigeminal neuralgia will also be noted to have vascular compression of the nerve.

External links