1. [TA] Any cavity or enclosed space serving as a reservoir, especially for chyle, lymph, or cerebrospinal fluid. 2. An ultramicroscopic space occurring between the membranes of the flattened sacs of the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi complex, or the two membranes of the nuclear envelope. SYN: cisterna [TA]. [L. cisterna]
- ambient c. [TA] a c. located on the lateral aspect of the midbrain and dorsally continuous with the quadrigeminal c.; the ambient c. is sometimes defined as including the quadrigeminal c.. SYN: cisterna ambiens [TA].
- basal c. SYN: interpeduncular c..
- cerebellomedullary c. the largest of the subarachnoid cisterns between the cerebellum and the medulla oblongata; it is divided into a posterior cerebellomedullary c. [TA] located between the cerebellum and the dorsal surface of the medulla (also called cisterna magna), and a lateral cerebellomedullary c. [TA] located between the cerebellum and the lateral aspect of the medulla.
- c. of chiasm SYN: chiasmatic c..
- chiasmatic c. [TA] a dilation of the subarachnoid space below and anterior to the optic chiasm. SYN: cisterna chiasmatis [TA], c. of chiasm.
- chyle c. cisterna chyli.
- interpeduncular c. [TA] a dilation of the subarachnoid space rostral to the basilar pons and ventral and caudal to the mammillary bodies where the arachnoid membrane stretches across between the two temporal lobes over the base of the diencephalon. See interpeduncular fossa. SYN: cisterna interpeduncularis [TA], basal c., cisterna basalis, cisterna cruralis, Tarin space.
- c. of lamina terminalis [TA] located immediately rostral to the lamina terminalis. SYN: cisterna laminae terminalis [TA].
- lateral cerebellomedullary c. [TA] See cerebellomedullary c.. SYN: cisterna cerebellomedullaris lateralis [TA].
- c. of lateral cerebral fossa an elongated expansion of the subarachnoid space where the arachnoid bridges over the opening of the Sylvian fissure. SYN: cisterna fossae lateralis cerebri [TA].
- lumbar c. [TA] enlargement of the subarachnoid space between the conus medullaris of spinal cord (about vertebral level L2) and inferior end of subarachnoid space and dura mater (about vertebral level S2); occupied by the dorsal and ventral roots constituting the cauda equina, the terminal filum, and cerebrospinal fluid. Site for lumbar puncture and spinal anesthesia.
- Pecquet c. SYN: cisterna chyli.
- pericallosal c. [TA] located immediately adjacent to the full length of the corpus callosum, contains portions of pericallosal artery, a branch of the anterior cerebral artery. SYN: cisterna pericallosa [TA].
- pontine c. SYN: pontocerebellar c..
- pontocerebellar c. [TA] located on lateral aspects of the pons at its junction with the cerebellum, may be divided into superior and inferior portions. SYN: cisterna pontocerebellaris [TA], cisterna pontis, pontine c., prepontine c..
- posterior cerebellomedullary c. [TA] See cerebellomedullary c.. SYN: cisterna cerebellomedullaris posterior [TA], cisterna magna.
- prepontine c. SYN: pontocerebellar c..
- quadrigeminal c. [TA] an expansion of the subarachnoid space extending forward between the corpus callosum and the thalamus; it encloses the internal cerebral veins which caudally join to form the vena magna cerebri (Galen vein). SYN: cisterna quadrigeminalis [TA], c. of great cerebral vein, cisterna venae magnae cerebri, Bichat canal, superior c..
- quadrigeminal c. [TA] slightly enlarged portion of the subarachnoid space located immediately dorsal to the tectum of the mesencephalon; contains parts of the great cerebral vein and of the medial posterior choroidal arteries.
- subarachnoid cisterns [TA] widening portions of the subarachnoid space within the cranium where the arachnoid bridges over a depression on the surface of the brain. SYN: cisternae subarachnoideae [TA].
- superior c. SYN: quadrigeminal c..
- Sylvian c. the subarachnoid space associated with the lateral cerebral sulcus (Sylvian fissure); contains the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery and the origin of lenticulostriate arteries, and proximal parts of the middle cerebral artery.
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cis·tern 'sis-tərn n a fluid-containing sac or cavity in an organism
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cis·tern (sisґtərn) [L. cisterna] a closed space serving as a reservoir for fluid; see also cisterna.Medical dictionary. 2011.