Cistern of lateral cerebral fossa

Cisterna fossae lateralis cerebri

Definition

The cistern of lateral cerebral fossa (Sylvian cistern) is formed in front of either temporal lobe by the arachnoid bridging across the lateral fissure. It is a T-shaped paired CSF-filled pockets that serve as a transition space between the basal cisterns and the hemispheric subarachnoid space. The cistern of lateral cerebral fossa is bounded by the insular and opercular cortex. This cistern is compartmentalized into an anterior compartment, which extends laterally from the origins of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) to the limen insula (the difference between this anterior compartment and the cistern of cerebral vallecula is not clear), and a posterior compartment, which is located behind the limen insula.

The arterial content comprises the MCA, origins of the lenticulostriate artery, anterior temporal artery, and temporopolar artery. The venous content comprises contents are comprised of the middle cerebral vein, superficial and deep Sylvian veins.

Rai S, Srivastava S, Kamath M, Murlimanju BV, Parmar G, 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. doi: 10.7759/cureus.23741. PMID: 35509744; PMCID: PMC9057636.


Comparative anatomy in animals

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