What Is STA to MCA Bypass Surgery?

The brain is supplied by 4 major arteries: the left and right carotid arteries, which bring blood to the front of the brain, and the left and right vertebral arteries, which deliver blood to the back of the brain.

Sometimes these arteries are affected by diseases or abnormal structures that diminish or eliminate their ability to supply blood to the brain.

In the case of the surgery you will be viewing today, one of the patient’s carotid arteries is partially blocked by fatty deposits called plaques. This increases his risk for stroke, and is the reason that surgery is being performed.

During this STA to MCA bypass surgery, Dr. Lawton will use the superficial temporal artery (STA) to bypass the blocked internal carotid artery. In doing so, he will connect the STA to the middle cerebral artery (MCA), which is a branch of the internal carotid artery and is responsible for a large portion of the blood supply to the brain.