Interpeduncular cistern

{{short description|Subarachnoid cistern above and in front of the pons}}

{{Infobox brain

| Name = Interpeduncular cistern

| Latin = cisterna interpeduncularis

| Image = Gray768.png

| Caption = Diagram showing the positions of the three principal subarachnoid cisterns. (Interpeduncular cistern labeled at left center.)

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The interpeduncular cistern (or basal 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 the subarachnoid cistern situated between the dorsum sellae (anteriorly) and the two cerebral peduncles{{Citation |last1=Shafique |first1=Shiza |title=Anatomy, Head and Neck, Subarachnoid Space |date=2023 |url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557521/ |work=StatPearls |access-date=2023-08-01 |place=Treasure Island (FL) |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |pmid=32491453 |last2=Rayi |first2=Appaji}} at the front of the midbrain. Its roof is represented by the floor of the third ventricle (i.e. posterior perforated substance, and the two mammillary bodies). Its floor is formed by the arachnoid membrane extending between the temporal lobes of either side.{{Cite book |last=Sinnatamby |first=Chummy S. |title=Last's Anatomy |publisher= Elsevier Australia|year=2011 |isbn=978-0-7295-3752-0 |edition=12th |page=440}} Anteriorly, it extends to the optic chiasm.

The cistern communicates superiorly with the chiasmatic cistern, and inferiorly with the pontine cistern. The chiasmatic cistern, cistern of lamina terminalis, and supracallosal cistern are all extensions of the interpeduncular cistern.