Posterior cerebral artery

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Artery: Posterior cerebral artery
Outer surface of cerebral hemisphere, showing areas supplied by cerebral arteries.
The arterial circle and arteries of the brain. The posterior cerebral arteries (middle of figure) arise from the basilar artery.
Gray's	subject #148 580
Supplies	occipital lobe
Source	basilar artery
MeSH	A07.231.114.228.700

In human anatomy, the posterior cerebral artery is the blood vessel that supplies oxygenated blood to the posterior aspect of the brain (occipital lobe). It arises from the basilar artery and connects with the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery and internal carotid artery via the posterior communicating artery.

The branches of the posterior cerebral artery are divided into two sets, ganglionic and cortical:

Contents 1 Ganglionic branches 2 Cortical branches 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] Ganglionic branches

• The postero-medial ganglionic branches are a group of small arteries which arise at the commencement of the posterior cerebral artery: these, with similar branches from the posterior communicating, pierce the posterior perforated substance, and supply the medial surfaces of the thalami and the walls of the third ventricle.

• The posterior choroidal branches run forward beneath the splenium of the corpus callosum, and supply the tela chorioidea of the third ventricle and the choroid plexus.

• The postero-lateral ganglionic branches are small arteries which arise from the posterior cerebral artery after it has turned around the cerebral peduncle; they supply a considerable portion of the thalamus.

[edit] Cortical branches

The cortical branches are:

• the anterior temporal, distributed to the uncus and the anterior part of the fusiform gyrus
• the posterior temporal, to the fusiform and the inferior temporal gyri
• the calcarine, to the cuneus and gyrus lingualis and the back part of the convex surface of the occipital lobe
• the parietoöccipital, to the cuneus and the precuneus

[edit] See also

• Circle of Willis
• Anterior cerebral artery

[edit] External links

• eMedicine neuro/322 - Posterior Cerebral Artery Stroke
• Overview at strokecenter.org
• Angiography at upstate.edu
• Diagram at psyweb.com
• SUNY Labs 28:09-0206

Arteries of head and neckedit

EXTERNAL CAROTID: Anterior: superior thyroid - superior laryngeal - lingual (sublingual) facial: cervical branches (ascending palatine - tonsillar - submental) - facial branches (inferior labial - superior labial - lateral nasal - angular) Posterior and ascending: occipital - posterior auricular - stylomastoid - ascending pharyngeal (meningeal branches) Terminal: superficial temporal - transverse facial - middle temporal (zygomaticoörbital) - parietal branch internal maxillary - 1st part: anterior tympanic - deep auricular - middle meningeal - superior tympanic - accessory meningeal - inferior alveolar - lingual 2nd part: deep temporal - masseteric - buccinator - posterior superior alveolar 3rd part: infraorbital - descending palatine - artery of the pterygoid canal - sphenopalatine | (Gray's s144) INTERNAL CAROTID: cervical portion - petrous portion - cavernous portion ophthalmic - orbital group: lacrimal - supra-orbital - posterior ethmoidal - anterior ethmoidal - medial palpebral - supratrochlear - dorsal nasal ocular group: central retinal - ciliary cerebral portion: anterior cerebral - anterior communicating - middle cerebral - posterior communicating - anterior choroidal - circle of Willis | (Gray's s146 - Gray's s147) SUBCLAVIAN: vertebral: meningeal branches - posterior spinal - anterior spinal - posterior inferior cerebellar - basilar (internal auditory - anterior inferior cerebellar - superior cerebellar - posterior cerebral) thyrocervical trunk: inferior thyroid - inferior laryngeal - ascending cervical - suprascapular - transverse cervical - dorsal scapular internal thoracic: musculophrenic - anterior intercostal - pericardiacophrenic - superior epigastric costocervical trunk: highest intercostal, deep cervical | (Gray's s148)