Anterior communicating artery

Looks like

A tiny bridging artery, a few millimetres long, joining the two anterior cerebral arteries in front of the optic chiasm.

What it does

Lets blood cross between the left and right front brain supplies.

Keeping it well

The single most common site of brain aneurysms. A sudden thunderclap headache needs emergency brain imaging.

Related conditions

• Brain aneurysm
• Carotid artery stenosis
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Hypothermia & frostbite
• Ischaemic stroke
• Kawasaki disease
• Metabolic syndrome
• Orthostatic hypotension & POTS
• Peripheral artery disease
• Phaeochromocytoma & hyperaldosteronism
• Pre-eclampsia
• Raynaud's phenomenon
• Retinal artery occlusion (eye stroke)
• Sepsis
• Shock (circulatory failure)
• Takayasu arteritis
• Transient ischaemic attack
• Vasculitis (GCA & others)