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The brain blood supply comes from the internal carotid and vertebral
arteries. The confluence of the paired vertebral
arteries gives rise to the basilar artery, which, together with the left and
right internal carotid arteries, forms the circle of Willis at the base of the
brain (Figure 7-19). It is important to note that there are significant
variations in
vessel caliber of the circle of Willis. In general, the main intracranial
arteries can be evaluated with relative ease in the neonatal population. In
addition to the standard approaches, the open fontanelle provides
additional windows to evaluate the intracranial arteries. While basilar,
posterior cerebral, and ophthalmic arteries and the circle of Willis have
all been evaluated, the middle (MCA) and anterior cerebral artery
(ACA) are the most commonly assessed intracranial arteries in the
neonatal population.