Anat Cell Biol.  2020 Sep;53(3):272-278. 10.5115/acb.20.066.

Incidence of hypoplastic posterior communicating artery and fetal posterior cerebral artery in Andhra population of India: a retrospective 3-Tesla magnetic resonance angiographic study

• Bhanu SP
• Pentyala S
• Sankar DK

• KMID: 2507639
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5115/acb.20.066

Abstract

The posterior communicating arteries (PCoA) are important component of collateral circulation between the anterior and posterior part of circle of Willis (CW). The hypoplasia or aplasia of PCoA will reflect on prognosis of the neurological diseases. Precise studies of the incidence of hypoplastic PCoA in Andhra Pradesh population of India are hitherto unreported, since the present study was undertaken. Two hundred and thirty one magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) images were analyzed to identify the hypoplasia of PCoA and presence of fetal type of posterior cerebral artery (f-PCA) in patients with different neurological symptoms. All the patients underwent 3.0T MRI exposure. The results were statistically analysed. A total of 63 (27.3%) PCoA hypoplasia and 13 cases with f-PCA (5.6%) cases were identified. The hypoplastic PCoA was noted more in males than females (P<0.05) and right side hypoplasia was common than the left (P<0.04); bilateral hypoplasia of PCoA was seen in 37 cases out of 63 and is significant. The hypoplastic cases of the present study also were associated with variations of anterior cerebral arteries and one case was having vertebral artery hypoplasia. Incidence of PCoA as unilateral or bilateral with other associated anomalies of CW is more prone to develop stroke, migraine and cognitive dysfunction. Knowledge of these variations in the PCoA plays a pivotal role in diagnoses of neurological disorders and in neurovascular surgeries and angiographic point of view.

Keyword

Posterior communicating artery; Hypoplastic; Posterior cerebral artery; Circle of Willis; Cerebral artery

Figure

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  Fig. 1 MRA images showing (A) hypoplasia of right side PCoA (arrowhead) with left fetal type of posterior cerebral artery (arrow); (B) left side PCoA hypoplasia (arrowhead) with hypoplastic left A1 segment of anterior cerebral artery (asterisk). MRA, magnetic resonance angiography; PCoA, posterior communicating artery.

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  Fig. 2 MRA images showing (A) left side PCoA hypoplasia (arrowhead); (B) bilateral PCoA hypoplasia (arrowheads). MRA, magnetic resonance angiography; PCoA, posterior communicating artery.

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  Fig. 3 MRA images showing (A) bilateral PCoA hypoplasia (arrowheads); (B) bilateral PCoA hypoplasia (arrowheads) with hypoplastic A1 segment of anterior cerebral artery (asterisk). MRA, magnetic resonance angiography; PCoA, posterior communicating artery.

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  Fig. 4 MRA images showing (A) bilateral PCoA hypoplasia (arrowheads) with hypoplastic right vertebral artery (arrow); (B) left side PCoA hypoplasia (arrowhead) with right fetal type of posterior cerebral artery (arrow); this case also presented hypoplastic right A1 segment of anterior cerebral artery (asterisk) and hypoplastic right vertebral artery (double arrows). MRA, magnetic resonance angiography; PCoA, posterior communicating artery.

Reference

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