Artery of Percheron

Last revised by Rohit Sharma on 27 Feb 2024

The artery of Percheron is a variant of the posterior cerebral circulation characterized by a solitary arterial trunk that supplies blood to the paramedian thalami and the rostral midbrain bilaterally. From the original classification of arterial patterns at the origin of the paramedian arteries for the thalamus 1, this variant is described as type II. Type I refers to the standard bilateral independent vascularization from the proximal segment of both posterior cerebral arteries, while type III regards the existence of a communicating artery between these two independent origins, with either thalamus receiving bilateral arterial supply.

The artery of Percheron is estimated to occur in 4-12% of the population 2,6-8. The term is used to refer to a solitary arterial trunk that branches from one of the proximal segments of either posterior cerebral artery (PCA). It supplies blood to the paramedian thalami and, most often, the rostral midbrain bilaterally 4. Occasionally it supplies the anterior thalamus, particularly when the thalamotuberal (or polar) arteries are absent (30-60% of cases) 1,3.

The artery is named after the French neurologist Gérard Percheron, who described it in 1973 5.

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