Cistern of lateral cerebral fossa

{{Short description|Subarachnoid cistern formed in front of each temporal lobe}}

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| Name = Cistern of lateral cerebral fossa

| Latin = cisterna fossae lateralis cerebri

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The cistern of lateral cerebral fossa{{Cite web |title=Anatonomina |url=http://www.terminologia-anatomica.org/en/Terms/Occurence/5200 |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=www.terminologia-anatomica.org}} (also cistern of the lateral sulcus, or Sylvian cistern{{Cite book |last=Standring |first=Susan |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1201341621 |title=Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-7020-7707-4 |edition=42th |location=New York |pages=413 |oclc=1201341621}}) is an elongated{{Cite web |title=cistern of lateral cerebral fossa |url=https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/cistern+of+lateral+cerebral+fossa |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=TheFreeDictionary.com |language=en}} subarachnoid cistern formed by arachnoid mater bridging the lateral sulcus between the frontal, temporal, and parietal opercula. The cistern contains the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and its branches,{{Citation |last=Alvarez Toledo |first=Nilo |title=Neuroanatomy, Sylvian Fissure |date=2023 |url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK574552/ |work=StatPearls |access-date=2023-08-03 |place=Treasure Island (FL) |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |pmid=34662066 |last2=Munakomi |first2=Sunil |last3=Prestigiacomo |first3=Charles J.}} and the two (i.e. superficial and deep) middle cerebral veins (MCVs).

The cistern is subdivided into three compartments: the superficial opercular compartment (SOC) (most superficial), deep opercular compartment (DOC) (intermediate), and cisternal compartment (CC) (deepest). The SOC contains the superficial MCV, and distal branches of the MCA; the DOC contains the M3 segment of the MCA; the CC contains the M1 and M2 segments of MCA, and the deep MCV.