medial parts of the brainstem as far dorsal as the ventricle are supplied by long, slender penetrating branches called the paramedian branches.Patients whom you will encounter may present with fragments or combinations of syndromes.īrainstem arteries in the medulla, pons and midbrain have similar patterns of distribution: This means that clinical syndromes produced by occlusion of a particular vessel are also variable.

Perhaps the most important thing to recognize about the brainstem's blood supply is just how variable the vessels can be in size and position, but still provide adequate perfusion. The vertebral and basilar arteries supply the brainstem and cerebellum. The artery of Adamkiewicz is one of the most important radicular arteries, and in some individuals it may provide the entire arterial supply for the lower two-thirds of the spinal cord.

There is a great deal of variability in this pattern. For lower parts of the cord, the spinal arteries are reinforced by radicular arteries that are branches of the thoracic and abdominal aorta. The posterior spinal arteries and the two anterior spinal arteries, which fuse to form a single midline vessel, supply the upper cervical cord. Diagrams The vertebral arteries help to supply the spinal cord

Pica syndrome brain stem