Alharbi Yasser, Al Saffar Radi Ali M
Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), National Guard Health Affair (NGHA), King Abdul-Aziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Anat Cell Biol. 2024 Dec 31;57(4):579-591. doi: 10.5115/acb.24.020. Epub 2024 Aug 30.
The circle of Willis (COW) refers to the anastomotic arterial network found on the brain base, tasked with provision of collateral circulation aimed at prevention of ischemia. The COW is of immense clinical importance especially with regard to the assessment of neurovascular diseases. Individuals portray significant variations in the COW's anatomical configuration. The present study seeks to evaluate the existing anatomical variations of the COW and within the anterior and posterior segments of the COW. Thus, the study seeks to evaluate the different anatomical variations of the COW and its segments and components within the study population. To attain the set objectives, the present study has utilized the angiographic images for studying the COW variants in patients who underwent cerebral angiography during assessment of different types of cerebral anomalies and conditions. Therefore, this study used conventional angiography as an important tool in the evaluation of the different variations in the COW, and is most appropriate for evaluation of smaller anatomical variations owing to its perfect spatial resolution and portrayal of COW anatomy. The study findings indicated the existence between age and sex, and anatomical variations of the COW, particularly with regard to diameters of COW components like basilar artery (BA), P1, and internal carotid arterys (ICAs). Males had bigger BA, P1 and ICA diameters than females, while individuals aged below 40 years had bigger BA, A1, posterior communicating artery, and ICA diameters than those aged above 40 years.
Willis环（COW）是指位于脑底部的吻合动脉网络，其任务是提供侧支循环以预防局部缺血。COW在临床上具有极其重要的意义，尤其是在评估神经血管疾病方面。个体的COW解剖结构存在显著差异。本研究旨在评估COW及其前后段的现有解剖变异。因此，该研究旨在评估研究人群中COW及其节段和组成部分的不同解剖变异。为实现既定目标，本研究利用血管造影图像来研究在评估不同类型脑异常和病症期间接受脑血管造影的患者的COW变异。因此，本研究将传统血管造影作为评估COW不同变异的重要工具，由于其完美的空间分辨率和对COW解剖结构的描绘，最适合评估较小的解剖变异。研究结果表明年龄、性别与COW的解剖变异之间存在关联，特别是在COW组成部分如基底动脉（BA）、P1和颈内动脉（ICA）的直径方面。男性的BA、P1和ICA直径大于女性，而40岁以下个体的BA、A1、后交通动脉和ICA直径大于40岁以上个体。
