Posterior Cerebral Artery

1. Anatomy:

The PCA is a terminal branch of the basilar artery.

It supplies several important structures:

     – Occipital lobe: Responsible for visual processing.

     – Inferomedial surface of the temporal lobe: Involved in memory and language.

     – Midbrain: Part of the brainstem.

     – Thalamus: Relay center for sensory and motor signals.

     – Choroid plexus of the third and lateral ventricles.

   – The PCA participates in the formation of the cerebral arterial circle (Circle of Willis), which provides most of the arterial blood supply to the brain.

   – Within the Circle of Willis, the PCA anastomoses with the posterior communicating artery, connecting the vertebrobasilar and internal carotid artery systems.

 

2. Clinical Significance:

   – The PCA plays a crucial role in vision:

     – It supplies the visual cortex responsible for the contralateral field of vision.

     – Damage to the PCA can lead to visual deficits, such as homonymous hemianopia (loss of half of the visual field).

   

References:

(1) Posterior cerebral artery: Anatomy, branches, supply | Kenhub. https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/posterior-cerebral-artery.

(2) Posterior cerebral artery | Radiology Reference Article – Radiopaedia.org. https://radiopaedia.org/articles/posterior-cerebral-artery.

(3) Fetal posterior cerebral artery | Radiology Reference Article …. https://radiopaedia.org/articles/fetal-posterior-cerebral-artery.

(4) Embryology and Anatomy of the Posterior Cerebral Artery. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-32913-5_14.

(5) en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterior_cerebral_artery.

Verifiziert von Dr. Petya Stefanova

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