Middle Meningeal Artery

Course

The middle meningeal artery arises from the maxillary artery within the infratemporal fossa, close to the roots of the auriculotemporal nerve.

It then enters the middle cranial fossa via the foramen spinosum, accompanied by the middle meningeal vein and the meningeal branch of the mandibular nerve.

Within the cranial cavity, the artery runs along the internal surface of the skull, lying between the dura mater and the bone. As it courses laterally across the sphenoid bone, it gives rise to two branches (petrosal and cavernous).

It then divides into two terminal branches:

• Anterior (frontal) branch – passes anteriorly and laterally over the greater wing of the sphenoid towards the pterion (junction of the frontal, parietal, sphenoid, and temporal bones), where it is at risk of injury in skull fractures. It then divides into terminal branches over the upper parietal bone.
• Posterior (parietal) branch – passes horizontally and posteriorly over the internal surface of the temporal bone. It divides into terminal branches over the lower parietal bone.

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2025)

Fig 1
Lateral view of the skull, showing the path of the middle meningeal artery. Note the pterion, a weak point of the skull, where the anterior branch of the middle meningeal artery is at risk of damage.

Branches and Supply

The middle meningeal artery supplies the dura mater, the inner surface of the cranial bones, parts of the cranial fossae, tympanic cavity, and the falx cerebri.

• Petrosal branches – supply the dura over the petrous temporal bone and the superior tympanic cavity. Also supplies the facial nerve via an anastomosis with the stylomastoid branch of the posterior auricular artery.
• Cavernous branch – supplies the dura of the middle cranial fossa, anterior cranial fossa (lateral part), and the cavernous sinus wall.
• Anterior (frontal) group – includes sphenoidal, orbital, and medial sphenoidal branches, supplying the anterior dura and dura of the lesser wing of the sphenoid.
• Posterior (parietal) group – includes the parietal, petrosquamosal, and parieto-occipital branches, supplying the posterior dura mater and tentorium cerebelli.