Vascular supply (Circle of Willis) — Flashcards

Flashcard 21: The macula is spared during posterior cerebral artery infarct due to collateral circulation with the _____ artery

Answer: middle cerebral

Flashcard 22: Which artery in the Circle of Willis supplies the medial aspect of the frontal and parietal lobes?

Answer: Anterior cerebral artery (ACA)

Flashcard 23: What arteries (2) supply the medial medulla? _____

Answer: Anterior spinal artery or vertebral artery

Flashcard 24: Which cerebral artery supplies the occipital lobe? _____

Answer: Posterior cerebral artery

Flashcard 25: Alexia without agraphia is a clinical finding associated with _____ artery infarct.

Answer: Posterior cerebral (PCA)

Extra: Alexia without agraphia (Dejerine syndrome) is a disconnection syndrome typically caused by an infarct in the **dominant posterior cerebral artery (PCA)** territory. It involves the **splenium of the corpus callosum** and the **occipital cortex**.

Flashcard 26: Which cerebral artery supplies the medial surface of the frontal/parietal lobes? _____

Answer: Anterior cerebral artery

Flashcard 27: Contralateral homonymous hemianopia with macular sparing is a visual deficit associated with _____ artery infarct

Answer: posterior cerebral

Flashcard 28: Which cerebral artery supplies the inferior temporal lobe?_____

Answer: Posterior cerebral artery

Flashcard 29: In the Circle of Willis, which vessel connects the two anterior cerebral arteries?

Answer: Anterior communicating artery (ACom)

Extra: The anterior communicating artery is the most common site for berry (saccular) aneurysms. Rupture leads to subarachnoid hemorrhage, while large aneurysms can compress the optic chiasm, leading to bitemporal hemianopsia.

Flashcard 30: What is the largest terminal branch of the internal carotid artery?

Answer: Middle cerebral artery (MCA)

Extra: The MCA is the largest terminal branch of the internal carotid artery. It travels through the lateral (Sylvian) fissure and supplies the majority of the lateral surface of the cerebral hemisphere, including the motor and sensory areas for the face and upper limbs, and the primary language areas (Broca's and Wernicke's) in the dominant hemisphere.