Accessory meningeal artery

The accessory meningeal artery (also accessory branch of middle meningeal artery, pterygomeningeal artery, small meningeal or parvidural branch) is a branch of the maxillary artery, sometimes derived from the middle meningeal artery.

Course
It enters the skull through the foramen ovale, and supplies the semilunar ganglion and dura mater.

Nomenclature
Only about 10% of the blood flowing through this artery reaches intracranial structures.

Reflecting this fact, Terminologia Anatomica lists entries for both "accessory branch of middle meningeal artery" and "pterygomeningeal artery".