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| internal carotid artery | |
|---|---|
| Name | Internal carotid artery |
| Latin | Arteria carotis interna |
| Branchfrom | Common carotid artery |
| Branchto | Ophthalmic artery; anterior cerebral artery; middle cerebral artery; posterior communicating artery |
| Supplies | Brain; eye; orbit; anterior skull base |
internal carotid artery The internal carotid artery is a major paired artery supplying the brain, eye, and orbit in humans and other mammals. It arises from the common carotid artery and ascends through the neck to enter the cranial cavity via the carotid canal, contributing to the circle of Willis and collaborating with the vertebral arterys to maintain cerebral perfusion. Its clinical importance spans neurology, neurosurgery, and ophthalmology because of roles in ischemic stroke and aneurysm pathology.
The proximal origin from the common carotid artery occurs at the level of the thyroid cartilage near the carotid bifurcation, adjacent to the vagus nerve and the internal jugular vein within the carotid sheath. Intracranial relations include adjacency to the cavernous sinus, implication in pituitary gland surgery, and proximity to cranial nerves such as the oculomotor nerve, trochlear nerve, trigeminal nerve, and abducens nerve. The artery's wall structure mirrors other elastic arterys with an internal elastic lamina and vasa vasorum similar to the aorta and pulmonary artery.
Embryologically the internal carotid artery forms from the third aortic arch and dorsal aorta segments during early embryology of the pharyngeal apparatus. Its development is influenced by molecular pathways studied in models such as the mouse and zebrafish, with contributions from neural crest cells implicated in malformations also seen in syndromes managed at institutions like Great Ormond Street Hospital and research centers including the Max Planck Society.
Classical segmental descriptions include cervical, petrous, cavernous, and cerebral portions, with alternative neuroanatomical schemes used in texts by Cushing, Adams and Victor, and contemporary atlases from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. The cervical segment ascends in the neck without branching; the petrous segment traverses the temporal bone within the carotid canal; the cavernous segment lies within the cavernous sinus adjacent to sella turcica structures; the cerebral segment gives terminal branches near the optic chiasm and Sylvian fissure.
Major branches include the ophthalmic artery, which supplies the eye and orbit and links with the central retinal artery; the posterior communicating artery, an element of the circle of Willis; and the terminal anterior cerebral artery and middle cerebral artery which perfuse large cortical territories implicated in strokes often treated at centers like Massachusetts General Hospital and Mayo Clinic. Smaller meningeal and hypophyseal branches arise in specific segments and are described in neurosurgical literature from institutions such as Johns Hopkins Hospital.
The internal carotid artery delivers oxygenated blood to anterior circulation territories of the brain, including frontal, parietal, temporal lobes, and deep structures such as the basal ganglia via lenticulostriate branches. It also supplies the eye via the ophthalmic distribution and contributes to collateral pathways with the anterior communicating artery and posterior communicating connections studied during interventions at centers including Guy's Hospital and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
Occlusion, stenosis, or embolism of the internal carotid artery is a major cause of ischemic stroke, often managed with carotid endarterectomy or stenting at vascular centers like Cleveland Clinic. Aneurysms at the carotid bifurcation or along the cavernous portion present to neurosurgery and interventional radiology services and may compress cranial nerves producing ophthalmoplegia recognized in case series from Mayo Clinic and Hospital for Sick Children. Traumatic carotid dissections are seen after whiplash or blunt trauma and managed in trauma centers including Shock Trauma Center and Royal London Hospital.
Anatomical variants include a hypoplastic internal carotid, an aberrant internal carotid artery, persistent embryonic connections such as a persistent trigeminal artery, and duplication anomalies reported in case reports from institutions like Mount Sinai Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Pathologies encompass atherosclerotic plaque causing stenosis, carotid artery dissection, infectious mycotic aneurysm, fibromuscular dysplasia noted in cohorts from Stanford Health Care, and neoplastic invasion by skull base tumors including meningioma and pituitary adenoma.
Category:Arteries of the head and neck