MEDIVEERSETHE PRACTICAL HUB
Locate vertebral artery on this anatomical reference. Read the original plate labels to confirm the view and adjacent structures.
Zoom in, then drag to inspect. Keyboard: + / − to zoom, arrows to pan, 0 to reset. Tap the numbered markers to explore parts.
brain arteries: labelled anatomical figure. Original source colours and labels retained.
Image: OpenStax / University of Hawaiʻi adapted teaching figures; original contributors credited at source · Source / original · CC BY 4.0 — figure credits at sourceNumbered markers and focused views are Mediveerse learning overlays; the original reference is linked above.
Vertebral artery
Understand what you see.
Contributes to posterior cerebral circulation.
Zoom into the original labels. Practise pointing out each structure, then explain it aloud. Diagrams are teaching references; specimen appearance and slide staining vary.
How to recognise it.
- Identify its origin or drainage
- Trace its regional course
- Confirm its important neighbouring structures
Point them out.
Tap a number to open its reference, zoom in and locate the structure. Numbers stay the same across views. This key follows landmarks visible in the reference images.
Think first. Then reveal.
Say your answer aloud before opening the suggested response.
Examiner-style prompts: identify the structure, explain its relations, then answer the applied follow-up. These are revision questions, not authenticated past papers.
01Identify vertebral artery and give its main role.+
Identify its origin or drainage. Trace its regional course. Confirm its important neighbouring structures. Contributes to posterior cerebral circulation.
02Which transverse foramen does it usually enter first?+
C6, with recognised variants. It then ascends and winds around the atlas before entering the cranial cavity.
03What do the two vertebral arteries form?+
They unite to form the basilar artery near the pontomedullary region.
04Point out three important relations and explain their significance.+
Subclavian origin; Cervical transverse foramina; Foramen magnum. Contributes to posterior cerebral circulation. Use the reference plate to locate the region; the relationship map organises the associations and is not drawn to scale.
Read the references.
Credited anatomical plates, microscopy and university teaching references. Individual image credits appear below the viewer. Historical plates can use older terminology; use the lesson text for current names.