Internal carotid artery

Looks like

The branch that leaves the neck and curves through the skull base into the brain.

What it does

Supplies the front two-thirds of the brain and the eye.

Keeping it well

Same care as its parent artery; sudden loss of vision in one eye can be a clot from here.

Its parts

• Right internal carotid artery
• Left internal carotid artery
• Insular part of middle cerebral artery
• Sphenoid part of middle cerebral artery
• Trunk of inferior terminal branch of middle cerebral artery
• Anterior temporal artery
• Anterolateral central branch of middle cerebral artery
• Artery of central sulcus
• Artery of postcentral sulcus
• Anterior parietal artery
• Artery of precentral sulcus
• Precuneal branch of pericallosal artery
• Branch of middle cerebral artery to angular gyrus
• Branch of anterior choroidal artery to posterior limb of internal capsule
• Callosomarginal artery
• Hypothalamic branch of posterior communicating artery
• Intermediomedial branch of callosomarginal artery
• Lateral frontobasal artery
• Medial frontobasal artery
• Middle temporal branch of middle cerebral artery
• Paracentral branch of callosomarginal artery
• Pericallosal artery
• Polar temporal artery
• Posterior parietal artery
• Posterior temporal branch of middle cerebral artery
• Posteromedial branch of callosomarginal artery
• Prefrontal artery
• Temporo-occipital branch of middle cerebral artery

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)