Corpus: Basilar artery

The basilar artery is a major cerebral artery that originates from the union of the right and left vertebral arteries.

The basilar artery arises at the junction between the medulla oblongata and the pons from the merging of the two vertebral arteries on the clivus of the skull base. It ascends in the basilar sulcus of the pons through an expansion of the subarachnoid space, the pontine cistern. Along its course, it first branches into the right and left anterior inferior cerebellar arteries, as well as several smaller branches known as the pontine arteries. At the anterior edge of the pons or in the interpeduncular fossa, it bifurcates into the two posterior cerebral arteries. Just before this bifurcation, the two superior cerebellar arteries branch off from their vascular trunk. The entire length of the basilar artery is approximately 3 to 3.5 cm.

• Anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA)
• Pontine arteries ("Rami ad pontem")
• Superior cerebellar artery (SCA)
• Posterior cerebral artery

Occasionally, the labyrinthine artery also arises directly from the basilar artery.

Occlusion of the basilar artery (basilar artery thrombosis) is a life-threatening emergency. It leads to a severe cerebral infarction, which is associated with a high mortality rate.