The carotid artery is an important blood vessel, supplying the brain with oxygen and nutrients. Two carotid arteries are found, one on either side of the neck. It bifurcates into the external carotid artery, that is mainly responsible for supplying the facial muscles with blood, and the internal carotid artery that ensures blood flow to the brain. It connects (together with the vertebral arteries) to the circle of Willis, from which the entire brain is supplied with blood. The circle of Willis introduces redundancy of supplying vessels, thus ensuring that occlusion of one carotid artery does not result in cerebral ischemia.
Carotid artery mechanics assessed by ultrasound, Page 1 of 2
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