Abstract: The acute ischemic stroke is one of the diseases that endanger human health with its high mortality rate and disability rate.With the improvement of people's living standard， incidence rate of the disease is increasing year by year. Improving and recovering cerebral perfusion will contribute to the prognosis of the patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease，therefore  the establishment of the collateral circulation is very important.The imaging evaluation of cerebral collateral circulation in clinic work is the key to choose the appropriate treatment. This article will review the anatomical structure of collateral circulation and the imaging evaluation of collateral circulation.

Key words: brain infarction, collateral circulation, imaging assessment