Keywords:
Vascular, Neuroradiology brain, Arteries / Aorta, MR-Angiography, Computer Applications-3D, Imaging sequences, Radiobiology, Image verification
Authors:
J. Sidorova, A. I. Gromov, I. Krinina, A. Kudryavtseva; Moscow/RU
DOI:
10.26044/ecr2019/C-1916
Aims and objectives
Arterial blood vessels supplying the brain are divided into anterior and posterior flows according to internal carotid arterial system and the vertebro‑basilar arterial system [1].
The posterior communicating arteries (Pcomm) are the main links through which these two flows connected.
These arteries with other arteries of Circle of Willis (COW) provide circular cerebral blood flow [2,
3].
Posterior communicating arteries according pathoanatomical studies are detected at autopsy in 90 to 98% of cases [2].
And only in a small percentage of cases (about 2% according to researchers) Pcomm is completely absent.
On the contrary,
the data of studies of intracranial vessels conducted on the computed tomography angiography (CTA) or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) basis show a small frequency of a closed circle of Willis about 45% of cases which is the exception rather than the norm [4].
And most often there are no or barely distinguishable on CTA or MRA angiography are the Pcomm`s.
The difference can be explained by the lower sensitivity of CTA and MRA in determining the presence of small arteries than in direct visualization at autopsy [2,
4].
There are reports in the publications about expansion of the Pcomm if the agenesia,
aplasia,
hypoplasia and atherosclerotic stenosis of the other arteries of the COW exist.
In these cases,
function of the Pcomm is compensate cerebral blood circulation due to inflow of the blood from another arterial stream [2,
5,
6].
The aim of our study is to test the hypothesis of mainly compensatory function of the Pcomm in the cerebral arterial blood circulation.