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Table 1 Intracranial intracerebral and extracerebral and extracranial vessels

From: Triptans and CGRP blockade – impact on the cranial vasculature

Cranial vessels may be extracranial and intracranial, and these latter may be distinguished into intracerebral and extracerebral. The middle cerebral artery and the cerebral part of the internal carotid artery are intracerebral vessels, while the cavernous part of the internal carotid artery is extracerebral. On the other hand, according to current imaging detection limitations, both the middle meningeal artery and the superficial temporal artery are considered extracranial vessels. Importantly, the middle meningeal artery has an intracranial and heavily innervated portion that may even be of more relevance in the pathophysiology of migraine than the extracranial portion. However, throughout the text and in accordance with current evidence that are about the extracranial portion, the text refers to middle meningeal artery as to an extracranial vessel.