Arterial Supply and Nerve Supply of Dura Mater

00:01 The arterial supply to the dura mater is fairly simple. It is supplied by the middle meningeal artery which is a branch of the maxillary artery. So, we see the middle meningeal artery right in through here for example. The middle meningeal artery will pass through an opening to enter the cranial cavity. This opening is the foramen spinosum. Then once it enters the cranial cavity, it will travel between the skull itself and the dura mater. As it travels in this area, it will literally groove the inner surface of the skull that one can view grossly.

00:49 It gives rise to two branches. So, here is your middle meningeal giving rise to an anterior branch. This has a relationship to the pterion which is the thin area of the skull here on the lateral side. The other branch is the posterior branch which we see here. You can see its posterior course quite well here. So, that is the main arterial supply to the dura mater.

01:22 The nerve supply is the last topical area to discuss. The nerve supply to the dura can be clinically correlated to referred pain as well. Most of the dura is going to be innervated by trigeminal nerve branches. Thus, pain is referred to the areas that we see here on the head. In addition, the dura mater is going to be supplied by cervical spinal nerves specifically C2 and C3. You can see the area of referred pain for that distribution or supply.

02:15 Another important thing for you to remember is that structures that lie above, so this would be most of the structures in the dura surrounding them or enclosing them at the brain, those supratentorial structures above the tentorium cerebelli will refer to trigeminal nerve distribution. That means that those areas of the dura covering those brain structures are supplied by trigeminal nerves. The structures that lie below the tentorium cerebelli, infratentorial structures, these are the structures that have dura innervated by C2 and C3, those cervical spinal nerves. Therefore, pain would be referred to those dermatomal distributions.