Cranial subarachnoid cisterns
Cisternae subarachnoidales craniales
- Latin synonym: Cisternae subarachnoideae craniales
- Related terms: Subarachnoid cisterns
Definition
At certain areas, the cranial subarachnoid space becomes significantly larger, called the cranial subarachnoid cisterns. Here, the arachnoid and the pia mater are widely set apart from each other.
Some important cranial subarachnoid cisterns include the pericallosal cistern, cistern of lateral cerebral fossa, cistern of lamina terminalis, chiasmatic cistern, interpeduncular cistern, ambient cistern, quadrigeminal cistern, pontocerebellar cistern, lateral and posterior cerebellomedullary cisterns.
The subarachnoid cisterns can be divided into different groups and subgroups (Terminologia Neuroanatomica), and arranged from caudal to rostral:
References
Text written by Muhammad A. Javaid, MD, PhD © 2023 IMAIOS.
Snell, R.S. (2010). ‘Chapter 16: The ventricular system, the cerebrospinal fluid, and the blood-brain and blood cerebrospinal fluid barriers’, in Clinical Neuroanatomy. (7th ed.) Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, pp. 457.
Rai, S., Srivastava, S., Kamath, M., Murlimanju, B.V., Parmar, G. and Chebrolu, G. Delineation of Subarachnoid Cisterns Using CT Cisternography, CT Brain Positive and Negative Contrast, and a Three Dimensional MRI Sequence: A Pictorial Review. Cureus. 2022 Apr 1;14(4):e23741.
