occipital artery

occipital artery definition - medical

occipital artery

noun
  1. An artery with origin in the external carotid artery, and with sternocleidomastoid, muscular, meningeal, auricular, occipital, mastoid, and descending branches.
  2. An artery that is one of the terminal branches of the posterior cerebral artery and supplies lateral portions of the temporal lobe; lateral occipital artery.
  3. An artery that is one of the terminal branches of the posterior cerebral artery, with distribution by several branches to the corpus callosum and portions of the occipital lobe, including the visual cortex; medial occipital artery.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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