Internal Carotid Artery (Skull), Superior View

Description

Seen from a superior cranial opening, the internal carotid arteries are traced after their entry through the carotid canals at the petrous temporal bones, then along the carotid groove at the body of the sphenoid toward the parasellar region. Medial to each cavernous segment, the artery turns anteriorly and superiorly to give the ophthalmic artery and then the anterior and middle cerebral arteries, contributing to the arterial circle (Circle of Willis) around the optic chiasm and infundibulum. Posteriorly, the posterior communicating arteries connect the internal carotid system to the posterior cerebral circulation, while the basilar artery and its bifurcation sit on the clivus in the midline. Blue venous channels outline the dural venous sinuses, including the superior sagittal sinus along the midline and the transverse and sigmoid sinuses coursing posterolaterally. A superior intracranial perspective clarifies the tight spatial relationship between the internal carotid artery and the sellar and parasellar landmarks, the corridor neurosurgeons navigate during endoscopic endonasal and transcranial approaches. It also supports teaching and clinical discussion of aneurysm-prone branch points, classically at the posterior communicating artery origin, the anterior communicating complex, and the middle cerebral bifurcation. Small distances matter here. This view makes that obvious. Use this artwork in neuroanatomy and head and neck anatomy courses, board-style review figures on the Circle of Willis, and operative planning references for carotid-cavernous fistula, pituitary adenoma approaches, or subarachnoid hemorrhage workups where arterial and dural sinus anatomy must be read together. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.