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.
Verified by Dr. Petya Stefanova
