Posterior cerebral artery
You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.
| Artery: Posterior cerebral artery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outer surface of cerebral hemisphere, showing areas supplied by cerebral arteries. (Yellow is region supplied by posterior cerebral artery.) | |
 | |
| The arterial circle and arteries of the brain. The posterior cerebral arteries (middle of figure) arise from the basilar artery. | |
| Latin | arteria cerebri posterior |
| Gray's | subject #148 580 |
| Supplies | occipital lobe of cerebrum |
| Source | basilar artery |
| Vein | cerebral veins |
| MeSH | Posterior+Cerebral+Artery |
| Dorlands / Elsevier | a_61/12153821 |
| Cardiology Network |
 Discuss Posterior cerebral artery further in the WikiDoc Cardiology Network |
| Adult Congenital |
|---|
| Biomarkers |
| Cardiac Rehabilitation |
| Congestive Heart Failure |
| CT Angiography |
| Echocardiography |
| Electrophysiology |
| Cardiology General |
| Genetics |
| Health Economics |
| Hypertension |
| Interventional Cardiology |
| MRI |
| Nuclear Cardiology |
| Peripheral Arterial Disease |
| Prevention |
| Public Policy |
| Pulmonary Embolism |
| Stable Angina |
| Valvular Heart Disease |
| Vascular Medicine |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Phone:617-525-6884
Please Take Over This Page and Apply to be Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [2] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.
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.
Branches
The branches of the posterior cerebral artery are divided into two sets, ganglionic and cortical:
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.
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
Pathology
Because the artery supplies much of the occipital lobe, occlusions can lead to deficiencies in visual perception.
See also
Additional images
 Location of the cerebral cortex |
 Medial surface of cerebral hemisphere, showing areas supplied by cerebral arteries. |
External links
- neuro/322 at eMedicine - Posterior Cerebral Artery Stroke
- Atlas of anatomy at UMich n3a8p1
- SUNY Labs 28:09-0206
- Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 13048.000-1
- Overview at strokecenter.org
- Angiography at State University of New York Upstate Medical University
- Diagram at psyweb.com
- Blood supply at neuropat.dote.hu
| ||||
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
