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¹George Washington University Department of Neurosurgery, Washington
²Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Nöroşirürji Ana Bilim Dalı, Ankara In this study twenty-one brains (42 sides) and 5 cadavers (10 sides) were studied especially for surgical anatomy of the superior cerebellar artery. The superior cerebellar artery is the most constant and least anomalous artery arising from the vertebrobasilar system. The superior cerebellar artery was found in all specimens. In 67% of sides there was a single superior cerebellar artery, duplication was seen in 26%, and triplication was seen in 7%. The first branch was always the largest. The average distance from the superior cerebellar artery origin to its bifurcation was 20.4mm. The location of the bifurcation was anterior to the brainstem in 25% of sides, lateral to it in 70%, and no bifurcation was found in 5%. The number of superior cerebellar artery perforators was generally the greatest in the rostral trunk. In 70% of sides the superior cerebellar artery was found to be touching III. cranial nevre. In 95% of sides the superior cerebellar artery was touching IV. cranial nerve and in 45% it was touching V. cranial nerve. All of the segments of the superior cerebellar artery have some relationship to III, IV, and V cranial nerves. This is important in all supratentorial procedures to the interpeduncular and parapeduncular cistern, combined petrosal approaches to the region of the tentorial incisura and approaches for the guadrigeminal plate Keywords : Caudal trunk, oculomotor nerve, rostral trunk, surgical approach, superior cerebellar artery, trochlear nerve, trigeminal nerve