Circle Of Willis Essay

Blood vessels names are determined by their blow flow (away from the heart is artery; vein is towards the heart). If they connect arteries and veins then they are called capillaries and if an organ is receiving or returning the blood then the organ’s name is a part of the blood vessel’s name. Circle of Willis is a looped network (anastomosis) of arteries at the base of the brain. Branches of the internal carotid arteries form the front of the circle and branches of the posterior cerebral arteries form the back of the circle, with smaller arteries, collectively called the communicating arteries, branching from them. The circle of Willis is “a unique vascular structure in the body that provides an extended safety net of redundancy for the brain’s blood supply; the

The principal arteries of supply to the head and neck are the “two common carotids; they ascend in the neck and each divides into two branches. One is the external carotid, supplying the exterior of the head, the face, and the greater part of the neck and two the internal carotid, supplying to a great extent the parts within the cranial and orbital cavities” (Common). Coronary Arteries are the network of arteries that encircles the heart to provide its blood supply. The two primary coronary arteries, the right coronary artery and the left coronary artery, branch from the aorta as it arises from the left ventricle. The left coronary artery is significantly larger and supplies the left heart. The left subclavian artery branches directly from the aorta, the largest artery in the body. The aorta curves above the heart before running down the front of the backbone. “The brachiocephalic artery, also known as the brachiocephalic trunk or innominate artery, is much shorter than the aortic arch and splits into two to form the right subclavian artery and the right common carotid