Bilateral Absence of Posterior Communicating Arteries - A Case Report

The major arterial supply to the brain is by an arterial circle - circle of Willis situated in the interpeduncular cistern of the brain. It is formed by the anastomosis of the branches arising from the internal carotid and vertebral arteries. Posterior communicating artery is the main anastomotic channel between the carotid and vertebrobasilar circulation. During routine dissection of brain for undergraduate students in a 70years old male cadaver, we observed bilateral absence of posterior communicating arteries. Right vertebral artery was smaller than the left. Individuals with absence of posterior communicating artery/vertebral artery hypoplasia are more prone to develop stroke, migraine and cognitive dysfunction. Knowledge of variation in the posterior communicating arteries is not only important to diagnose neurological disorders but also important from surgical and angiographic point of view.