Interpeduncular cistern

Last revised by Frank Gaillard on 6 Mar 2024

The interpeduncular cistern is an unpaired, cone-shaped subarachnoid cistern located anterior to the interpeduncular fossa of the midbrain.

It is partially bounded by the leaves of the Liliequist membrane, one of the arachnoid membranes, which separate it from its direct cranial and caudal relations1.

  • anterior: primarily from the posterior border of the diaphragma sellae (sella turcica, pituitary stalk and optic chiasm)

  • posterior: anterior border of the interpeduncular fossa

  • roof: formed by the diencephalon leaf of the Liliequist membrane and mammillary bodies. These separate it from the suprasellar cistern

  • floor: medial and lateral pontomesencephalic membranes (mesencephalic leaf of the Lilliequest membrane). These separate it from the prepontine cistern

  • lateral: communicates with the crural cisterns and ambient cisterns. Some authors report a lateral sheet of the Lilliequest membrane that encases the oculomotor nerve and may form a lateral border, but this is not widely accepted

  • subarachnoid hemorrhage: as the interpeduncular cistern is a dependent space in the supine position, small volume subarachnoid hemorrhage may be seen here

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