anatomical approach
Last reviewed 10/2022
The clinical features of a stroke are heavily dependent upon the artery in which the lesion occurs.
The important vascular territories to consider are:
- internal carotid, forming:
- anterior cerebral artery
- middle cerebral artery
- vertebrobasilar system, forming:
- posterior cerebral artery
It may also be useful to consider the brain structures infarcted e.g. brainstem.
Note that there are many variations in the anatomy of the blood supply of the brain - for example in the circle of Willis, such that in many patients collateral blood supply may be non-existent.
internal carotid artery stroke
anterior cerebral artery stroke
posterior cerebral artery stroke
vertebro-basilar artery stroke
anterior inferior cerebellar artery stroke