Right vertebral artery

Arteria vertebralis dextra

CardiovascularBlood vesselsWhole bodyRight side

View in 3D

What it is

The first branch of the subclavian artery. It climbs through the transverse foramina of C6 to C1, winds backwards over the arch of the atlas, enters the skull through the foramen magnum and joins its partner at the lower border of the pons to form the basilar artery.

Function

Supplies the spinal cord, brainstem, cerebellum and the back of the cerebrum (posterior circulation).

Size

~3–4 mm diameter; the left is often larger.

Clinical note

Can be torn (dissected) by sudden neck twisting, a cause of stroke in young adults; about 20% of brain blood flow comes through the two vertebral arteries.