Anterior communicating artery - Brain - Arteries - e-Anatomy
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Anterior communicating artery

Arteria communicans anterior

Definition

Muhammad A. Javaid

The anterior communicating artery (AComA) is a short artery that connects the right and left anterior cerebral arteries (ACAs) at the junction of their A1 and A2 (pre- and post-communicating) segments, thereby completing the anterior part of the circle of Willis.

It lies within the interhemispheric fissure, anterior and superior to the optic chiasm, and gives rise to small perforating (anteromedial central) arteries supplying parts of the:

  • Hypothalamic region

  • Lamina terminalis

  • Septal and basal forebrain regions

  • Region surrounding the optic chiasm

Clinical and functional correlates

The artery provides an important pathway for collateral circulation between the right and left internal carotid systems, particularly when blood flow on one side is reduced.

The anterior communicating artery is a common site of saccular (berry) aneurysms, rupture of which may cause subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Is this definition incorrect or incomplete?

References

  • Standring, S. (ed.) (2015) ‘Chapter 19: Vascular supply and drainage of the brain’, in Gray’s anatomy: the anatomical basis of clinical practice. 41st edn. London: Churchill Livingstone, pp. 280–290.

  • Tahir RA, Haider S, Kole M, Griffith B, Marin H. Anterior Cerebral Artery: Variant Anatomy and Pathology. J Vasc Interv Neurol. 2019 May;10(3):16-22.

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