The anterior choroidal artery is a rather fascinating artery in neurosurgery.
Initially, in the human embryo, all cerebral blood vessels originate from the internal carotid artery, with two arterial branches other than the ophthalmic artery emerging, one of which is the anterior choroidal artery.
Interestingly, this artery, which seems critically important, chooses to degenerate as humans continue to grow. As a result, in some individuals, its origin shifts to the middle cerebral artery and posterior communicating artery, while in most, it still arises from the lateral wall of the internal carotid artery.
A degenerating artery is definitely not characterized by a large tree trunk-like aorta but rather is long and thin, making it more prone to occlusion. Does this mean that this degenerating artery is completely unimportant? Why else would it degenerate?
