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Because the circle of Willis (CoW) supplies blood to the brain in case of occlusion of one of the cerebral arteries, identification of any change in its classical shape could be useful in the assessment of cerebrovascular morbidity. The purpose of our research was to study the anatomical variants of CoW identified on fresh brains obtained at the clinical autopsies of adult deceased patients belonging to a specific population (Northeastern region of Romania), as no data are available for Romania population up to date. The study group included consecutive patients who died in Prof. Dr. Nicolae Oblu Emergency Clinical Hospital, Iaşi, Romania, due to medical causes between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2016, to whom a clinical autopsy was performed. From a total of 96 circles of Willis, 29.17% presented an atypical morphology. We identified eight types of anatomical variants, which affected simultaneously both the posterior and the anterior parts of CoW in 46.42% of cases. The most frequent anatomical variants were hypoplasia (20.91%), followed by the absence of an artery (3.06%), and partially fetal type artery (2.04%). 67.86% of atypical CoW exhibited more than one anatomical variant of an artery in one circle. We identified nine of the 23 morphological patterns that were published to date, and also nine new types. Our research proved that in the population living in the Northeastern part of Romania the anatomical variations of circles of Willis are very polymorphic, with particular morphological aspects.

Gliomas are primary brain tumors that grow from glial cells. These include about 50-55% of all brain tumors. The notion of glial formation incorporates a heterogeneous group of tumors, biological features, treatment and prognosis of which can vary significantly. Currently, glial tumors are tumors that originate from oligodendroglial and astrocytic cells. Glioblastomas and gliomas are the most common brain tumors, with an annual incidence of 5.5 per 100,000 population or 18,000 new diagnoses per year. These tumors are usually associated with a poor prognosis and poor quality of life. The brain is the major organ of the central nervous system that controls and processes most of the body activities. Therefore, the most aggressive brain tumor, namely glioblastoma but also the metastases of other tumors with brain location have a reserved prognosis and a short survival time. Brain tissue has peculiarities compared to other tissues in the body, and the specific microenvironment comprising stem cells and blood-brain barrier, significantly influencing the low rate of glioblastoma metastasis outside the brain. The clinical manifestations of astrocytic tumors depend on the location and pace of tumor development. Well-differentiated diffuse astrocytomas may remain without manifestations for a relatively long period of time. At the same time, people who have developed a glioblastoma may show a rapid deterioration of the general condition. It is very important to understand the morphological classification of glial tumors because complete knowledge of tumor structures and the degree of malignancy can help optimize treatment for each tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]