Abstract
The course, origin and ramifications of the posterior deep temporal artery of sixty cats were investigated by utilizing the acryl plastic injection method. This artery arose from the maxillary artery distal to the origin of the inferior alveolar, or often in common with it, or rarely in only two cases from the rete mirabile of the maxillary artery distal to the origin of the middle meningeal artery. The posterior deep temporal artery gave rise to the temporomandibular joint, the lateral retial, the lateral pterygoid, the anterior branches and the masseteric artery, and it finally terminated into the superior, the superoposterior and the posterior branches within the insertion of the deep layer of the temporalis muscle. They supplied the muscles of mastication except for the pterygoideus medialis, which was supplied by the lingual branch arising from the lateral retial branch. This branch was similar to the maxillary artery in it's course, to the crab-eating monkey and man. The masseteric artery gave rise to the deep layer, the zygomaticomandibular and the maxillomandibular branches. The posterior deep temporal artery of the cat is similar to that of the dog in its ramifications, more than the crab-eating monkey, unless the lateral retial branch relating to the rete mirabile was not existent. The masseter muscle was mainly supplied by branches of the posterior deep temporal artery.
