Which artery branches off each side of the basilar artery with small penetrating branches?

• A. Superior Cerebellar artery
• B. Basilar artery
• C. Anterior inferior cerebellar artery
• D. Posterior cerebral artery

Answer: (A)

The basilar artery gives off paired cerebellar branches, and the one that matches having small penetrating branches is the superior cerebellar artery. They arise on each side of the basilar artery near its upper end, wrap around the brainstem to supply the superior surface of the cerebellum, and send tiny perforating branches into the midbrain and pons to nourish deeper structures. The basilar artery is the trunk itself, the posterior cerebral arteries come from the basilar tip, and while the anterior inferior cerebellar arteries do branch from the basilar, the description of paired branches with small penetrating branches most characteristically points to the superior cerebellar arteries.