Lenticulostriate arteries

Last revised by Assoc Prof Craig Hacking on 01 Feb 2021

The lenticulostriate arteries, also known as anterolateral central arteries, are a collection of small perforating arteries arising from the anterior part of the circle of Willis and supplying the basal ganglia. 

They are divided into:

  1. medial lenticulostriate arteries
  2. lateral lenticulostriate arteries 


There is some confusion in the literature in the use of "medial" and "lateral". Most describe the medial arteries arising from the A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery, and the lateral arteries arising from the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery 2.  

Some authors 1, however, further divide the perforating arteries that arise from the M1 segment into medial (those arising proximally) and lateral (those arising more distally) groups. 

Furthermore, as some of these perforating arteries can arise from other proximal branches (e.g. orbitofrontal artery) 3, it is, therefore, perhaps simpler to consider these arteries from the point of view of the tissue they supply, rather than the artery they arise from.

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