Cisterna magna

Cisterna magna

Diagram showing the positions of the three principal cisterns in the brain. The cisterna cerebellomedullaris is labelled at the lower right.
Details
System Ventricular
Identifiers
Latin Cisterna magna,
cisterna cerebellomedullaris
MeSH A08.186.566.166.686.351
NeuroNames hier-533

Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy

The cisterna magna (or cerebellomedullary cistern) is one of three principal openings in the subarachnoid space between the arachnoid and pia mater layers of the meninges surrounding the brain. The openings are collectively referred to as cisterns. The cisterna magna is located between the cerebellum and the dorsal surface of the medulla oblongata. Cerebrospinal fluid produced in the fourth ventricle drains into the cisterna magna via the lateral apertures and median aperture.

The two other principal cisterns are the pontine cistern located between the pons and the medulla, and the interpeduncular cistern located between the cerebral peduncles.

Cerebral spinal fluid can also be obtained by puncture of the cisterna magna (cistern puncture).

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, February 20, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.