[Anomalous ophthalmic artery-case reports and review of literature (author's transl)].

Case reports and review of literature were performed concerning anomalous or normal variant ophthalmic arteries discovered by angiography. In five cases, we recognized three types of the variation of the ophthalmic artery on serial magnification carotid angiograms. In the first type (case 1, 2), the middle meningeal artery originated from the ophthalmic artery. In the second type (case 3, 4) the ophthalmic artery originated from the middle meningeal artery. In the third type (case 5), double ophthalmic arteries originated from the cisternal portion and the cavernous portion of the internal carotid artery (ICA). The ophthalmic artery originating from the cavernous portion of the ICA entered the orbit through the superior orbital fissure and had a small branch to the foramen rotundum. In the first and second type, the stapedial artery was considered to play an important role in the formation of anomalous ophthalmic arteries. In regard to the third type, Lasjaunias called the ophthalmic artery from the cavernous portion of the ICA as the deep recurrent ophthalmic artery or the inferolateral trunk of the ICA. It's artery was the dorsal ophthalmic artery in a fetal period which had migrated caudally from the cisternal portion of the ICA to the cavernous portion. But Padget gave another explanation. She described that the inferolateral trunk of the ICA called by Lasjaunias was the primitive maxillary artery and the dorsal ophthalmic artery did not migrated to the cavernous portion. The origin of the ophthalmic artery originating from the cavernous portion of the ICA in the third type should be further analysed embryologically.