Intracranial arterial system: Basal perforating arteries

A number of basal perforating arteries (perforators) supply neurologically critical zones, including the basal gray matter and major projecting fiber bundles. Knowledge of perforator anatomy may have clinical significance for neurological analysis in patients with strokes. Furthermore, it may be of importance in determining treatment strategy for cerebral aneurysms: because the perforators are intimately related to aneurysms, which most often involve the base of the brain, great care must be taken during aneurysm surgeries to preserve these vessels.