Tentorial notch

Incisura tentorii

  • Synonym: Incisure of tentorium
  • Related terms: Tentorial notch; Incisura of tentorium

Definition

The tentorial notch is a small opening located at the front of the tentorium cerebelli. It allows the midbrain to pass downwards as the pons and medulla oblongata into the posterior cranial fossa. If there is any protrusion through this notch, such as an uncal herniation of the temporal lobes, it can exert press on the midbrain. This pressure can compress the oculomotor nerve, as well as the descending fibers of the corticospinal and corticonuclear pathways.

Click here for further information on the tentorium cerebelli

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Text written by Muhammad A. Javaid, MD, PhD © 2023 IMAIOS.

  • Kekere, V. and Alsayouri, K. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Dura Mater. [Updated 2023 Jul 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545301/

  • Ghannam, J.Y. and Al Kharazi, K.A. Neuroanatomy, Cranial Meninges. [Updated 2023 Jul 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539882/

  • Snell, R.S. (2010). ‘Chapter 15: The meninges of the brain and the spinal cord’, in Clinical Neuroanatomy. (7th ed.) Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, pp.427-444.


Comparative anatomy in animals

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