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Cistern of lamina terminalis

The cistern of lamina terminalis is a small subarachnoid cistern located in the anterior part of the brain, just anterior to the third ventricle. It lies between the lamina terminalis (a thin membrane forming the anterior wall of the third ventricle) and the rostrum of the corpus callosum. The cistern of lamina terminalis is continuous with the chiasmatic cistern below and communicates superiorly with the pericallosal cistern. It is a crucial space in neuroanatomy, especially relevant in surgical approaches to the anterior third ventricle and anterior communicating artery aneurysms.

Synonyms

  • Cistern of the lamina terminalis

  • Prelaminar cistern

  • Anterior third ventricle cistern

Function

  • Serves as a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) reservoir, allowing CSF to flow between the chiasmatic cistern and the pericallosal cistern.

  • Acts as a surgical corridor to access anterior third ventricle structures and anterior communicating artery aneurysms.

  • Contains important neurovascular structures, such as small perforating arteries from the anterior cerebral and anterior communicating arteries.

MRI Appearance

  • T1-Weighted Images:

    • Appears as a CSF-filled space, therefore typically shows low signal intensity (dark), similar to other CSF spaces.

  • T2-Weighted Images:

    • Appears hyperintense (bright), as CSF has high signal on T2-weighted sequences.

  • FLAIR (Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery):

    • CSF signal is suppressed and appears dark, making the cistern less conspicuous compared to T2 images; however, it may be visualized by its location and the anatomic landmarks.

  • The borders of the cistern are defined by adjacent structures:

    • Anterior: lamina terminalis

    • Posterior: anterior wall of the third ventricle

    • Superior: rostrum of corpus callosum

    • Inferior: optic chiasm (via chiasmatic cistern)

CT Appearance

  • Appears as a hypodense (dark) area, reflecting the CSF content, similar to other subarachnoid cisterns.

  • Best visualized in the presence of pathology (e.g., hemorrhage, mass effect, or hydrocephalus), where it may become more prominent or displaced.

  • The cistern is typically not well delineated on routine CT unless filled with blood or compressed by an adjacent lesion.

MRI images

Cistern of lamina terminalis mri 3t coronal image

MRI images

Cistern of lamina terminalis mri 3t sagittal image

CT image

Cistern of lamina terminalis CT axial anatomy image -img-00001-00001