Posterior communicating artery
Updates to Article Attributes
Body
was changed:
The posterior communicating artery (PCom) makes up the posterior linkage in the circle of Willis.
Gross anatomy
Course
The posterior communicating artery originates from the posterior aspect of the C7 (communicating) segment of the internal carotid artery and extends posteriormedially to anastomose with the ipsilateral posterior cerebral artery and form part of the circle of Willis.
Branches
The posterior communicating artery gives off many fine, scarcely visible, perforating branches. The largest perforating branch is called the premamillary (or anterior thalamoperforating) artery.
Vascular territory
Perforators from the posterior communicating artery supply:
- posterior part of the optic chiasm and optic tract
- posterior part of the hypothalamus and mammillary bodies
- part of the thalamus
Variant anatomy
-
fetal origin of posterior cerebral artery: common
(see case 1) - PCOM duplication: rare
- PCOM fenestration: extremely rare
- PCOM hypoplasia: incidence ~35%
- PCOM infundibulum (see case 2)
-
anterior choroidal artery origin from
PCOMPCom
-<a href="/articles/fetal-posterior-cerebral-artery">fetal origin of posterior cerebral artery</a>: common (see case 1)</li>- +<a href="/articles/fetal-posterior-cerebral-artery">fetal origin of posterior cerebral artery</a>: common</li>
-<a href="/articles/anterior-choroidal-artery">anterior choroidal artery</a> origin from PCOM</li>- +<a href="/articles/anterior-choroidal-artery">anterior choroidal artery</a> origin from PCom</li>
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