Posterior cerebral 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 (bottom forks) arise from the basilar artery (center).
Details
Source	basilar artery (most common in adults)
Vein	cerebral veins
Supplies	occipital lobe of cerebrum
Identifiers
Latin	arteria cerebri posterior
MeSH	A07.231.114.228.700
Dorlands /Elsevier	a_61/12153821
TA	A12.2.07.082
FMA	50583
Anatomical terminology []

The posterior cerebral artery (PCA) is one of a pair of blood vessels that supply oxygenated blood to the posterior aspect of the brain (occipital lobe) in human anatomy. It arises near the intersection of the posterior communicating artery and the basilar artery and connects with the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) and internal carotid artery via the posterior communicating artery (PCommA).

The development of the PCA in fetal brain comes relatively late and arises from the fusion of several embryonic vessels near the caudal end of the PCommA supplying the mesencephalon and diencephalon of the fetus. The PCA begins as such, as a continuation of the PCommA in the fetus with only 10–30% of fetuses having a prominent basilar origin.

The fetal carotid origin of the PCA usually regresses as the vertebral and basilar arteries develop with the PCommA reducing is size. In most adults, the PCA sources from the anterior portion of the basilar artery. Only about 19% of adults retain PCommA dominance of the PCA with 72% having dominant basilar origin, and the rest having either equal prominence between PCommA and basilar artery, or a single exclusive source.

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

Also known as the perforating branches:

Not to be confused with the Anterior choroidal artery

The cortical branches are:

Signs and symptoms:Structures involved

See: Posterior cerebral artery syndrome