A multidetector CT angiography study of variations in the circle of Willis in a Chinese population

The circle of Willis is a major collateral circulation that has an important role in ischemic events. The purpose of our study was to investigate the collateral circulation in a Chinese population with 64-section multidetector CT angiography (CTA). A total of 170 patients who underwent 64-section CT angiography at The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were included in our study. The morphological variations in the anterior and posterior circle of Willis were assessed in each patient. A total of 160 patients were included in the final analysis, of whom 126 (79%) demonstrated a complete anterior circle of Willis, and 50 (31%) had a complete posterior circle of Willis. A complete circle of Willis was seen in 43 of 160 participants (27%). A fetal-type posterior circle of Willis was seen in 15 (9.4%) patients. This is the first report of a CTA study of collateral circulation in a Chinese population. A higher prevalence of compromised posterior collaterals was observed in this Chinese population compared to Western and Japanese populations.