Literature ReviewEponyms in Vascular Neurosurgery: Comprehensive Review of 11 Arteries
Introduction
Although most arteries supplying the brain and spinal cord are named according to their anatomy (Figure 1), a handful have eponyms. Eponyms recognize anatomists for discovery or description of an artery but are often criticized as inaccurate and unscientific, and some eponyms can be controversial because of the personal life of the anatomist. Nonetheless, eponyms pervade medicine and, to a lesser degree, anatomy because they color our language, enrich our communication, and remind us of an artery's importance to clinical acumen or technique. We identify 11 eponyms for arteries in the brain and spinal cord that are integral to our daily vocabulary (Figure 2), often without historical knowledge of the anatomists (Figure 3). This report reviews these histories and anatomy to deepen appreciation of arterial eponyms in vascular neurosurgery.
Section snippets
Artery of Adamkiewicz
The artery of Adamkiewicz (AKA) is the most prominent radiculomedullary artery and supplies the spinal cord from the lower thoracic segments down to the conus medullaris. Although its origin is highly variable, the artery has a signature hairpin turn at its anastomosis with the anterior spinal artery.1 Albert Wojciech Adamkiewicz studied natural sciences and medicine in Wrocław, Poland. He began his career as a laboratory assistant in 1868 at the Institute of Physiology and, after a hiatus to
Conclusions
Eponyms are woven into the fabric of medicine. The clinical relevance of the 11 arteries described here is acknowledged by the use of eponyms. Anatomy remains the foundation for neurosurgical microdissection and technique and is crucial to our education and training. Eponyms are a reminder that we all can advance neuroanatomic knowledge through cadaveric, radiologic, and surgical studies.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the staff of Neuroscience Publications at Barrow Neurological Institute for assistance with manuscript and illustration preparation.
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Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that the article content was composed in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.