Eponyms in Vascular Neurosurgery: Comprehensive Review of 11 Arteries

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Anatomic knowledge and insight depend on the cumulative contributions of anatomists over time, and eponyms pay homage to some of these individuals. METHODS: A PubMed literature review identified 11 eponymous arteries of the brain and spinal cord. RESULTS: The 11 eponyms include the artery of Adamkiewicz, the artery of Bernasconi and Cassinari, the artery of Davidoff and Schechter, the recurrent artery of Heubner, McConnell's capsular arteries, the artery of Percheron, the artery of Salmon, the Vidian artery, the arteria termatica of Wilder, the circle of Willis, and the artery of Wollschlaeger and Wollschlaeger. CONCLUSIONS: Eponyms remind us of an artery's importance and can improve our clinical acumen or technique. They have become an integral part of our day-to-day vocabulary, often without our historical knowledge of these anatomists. This report reviews these histories and the anatomy to deepen our appreciation of arterial eponyms in vascular neurosurgery.