What cerebral artery is in the posterior cerebral circulation?
What cerebral artery is in the posterior cerebral circulation?
Posteriorly, the basilar artery (BA), formed by the left and right vertebral arteries, branches into a left and right posterior cerebral artery (PCA), forming the posterior circulation. The PCAs mostly supply blood to the occipital lobe and inferior portion of the temporal lobe.
What is a fetal posterior cerebral artery?
Fetal-type posterior cerebral artery (FTP) is a common anatomic variation observed in the circle of Willis, and defined as a posterior cerebral artery that originates from the internal carotid artery (ICA) with or without a small connection with the basilar artery (BA) (1).
What is fetal-type right PCA?
Fetal-type or fetal posterior cerebral artery (FPCA) is a variant of cerebrovascular anatomy in which the distal posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territory is perfused by a branch of the internal carotid artery (ICA).
What is fetal origin of the right PCA?
Fetal origin of the PCA is a common anatomic variation of the circle of Willis. On perfusion imaging, patients with unilateral fetal-type PCA may demonstrate left-right asymmetry that could mimic cerebrovascular disease.
Why is it called circle of Willis?
The circle of Willis gets its name from the physician Thomas Willis, who described this part of the anatomy in 1664. It may play a passive role in protecting a person from some health issues, such as stroke. However, it has an association with intracranial aneurysms.
Which artery supplies the posterior cerebral artery?
Basilar artery
Posterior cerebral artery
| Origin | Basilar artery |
|---|---|
| Supply | Occipital lobe, inferolateral surface of the temporal lobe, midbrain, thalamus, choroid plexus (third and lateral ventricle) |
What causes Circle Willis?
Although significant anatomic variations exist, the circle of Willis is typically composed of three cerebral and two communicating arteries that link the internal carotid arteries and the vertebrobasilar system.
What is P1 segment of PCA?
The initial portion of the PCA – the segment between the top of the BA and the origin of the posterior communicating artery – is referred to as the P1 segment. P2 refers to the segment after the communicating artery. In patients with fetal PCA, the P1 segment is hypoplastic or absent.
How common is fetal PCA?
A fetal (origin of the) posterior cerebral artery is a common variant in the posterior cerebral circulation, estimated to occur in 20-30% of individuals 2.
What does posterior cerebral artery affect?
PCA strokes can restrict the blood supply of multiple brain regions, including the occipital lobe, the inferomedial temporal lobe, a large portion of the thalamus, and the upper brainstem and midbrain.
How many arteries are in circle of Willis?
The circle of Willis is a group of blood vessels in the brain that connect with each other, forming a continuous structure that resembles a circle. These nine arteries supply blood to a large portion of the brain. Most of the time, blood can flow through the vessels of the circle of Willis without any interruption.
Why is the circle of Willis so special?
The circle of Willis is of great clinical significance due to its structure, function, and location. As the connection between the anterior and posterior cerebral circulations, the CoW perfuses the brain and protects against ischemia (at least in those with a complete or mostly-complete ring of vessels).