Review of the Variability of the Territories of the Major Cerebral Arteries

The results of recent model studies indicate that the variability in territorial distribution of the major cerebral arteries may be much greater than has been previously recognized. We review the literature on the cortical and intracerebral territories of the anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries. Although most authors claim that these territories are relatively consistent, the results of their studies show many and considerable discrepancies. The variability described by Beevor has been neither excluded nor completely confirmed, yet somehow the concept of a relatively unchanging pattern of the peripheral cerebral vascularization has gradually settled into the literature. We discuss the considerable variability of the cerebral territories, as well as the discrepancies in investigation techniques, injection materials, and specimen conditions that could be factors producing these dissimilar results. Our study shows that there are no arguments in the literature to negate the variability of the cerebral territories. (Stroke 1991;22:1078-1084)