CIRCLE OF WILLIS-POSTERIOR CEREBRAL ARTERY (PCA)

SUMMARY

ORIGIN
1. Arises from the basilar artery
2. Curls back around the cerebral peduncle

SUPPLY
3. Passes back above the tentorium to supply the inferior-medial surfaces of the temporal and occipital lobes: inferior temporal gyrus, medial & lateral surfaces of the occipital lobe
4. It supplies the visual cortex, but sometimes the MCA branches supply the macula
5. Also sends branches through the posterior perforated substance to supply the thalamus, lentiform nucleus and posterior part of the internal capsule



Image: Circle of Willis. Netter. (2014). Atlas of Human Anatomy, Sixth Edition. 6th ed. Elsevier.

Reference(s)

R.M.H McMinn (1998). Last’s anatomy: regional and applied. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Get it on Amazon.
Drake, Richard L., et al. Gray's Anatomy for Students. Elsevier, 2023. Get it on Amazon.