The cerebellopontine cistern
(also pontocerebellar cistern,
cerebellopontine angle cistern, or angle cistern
) is a paired
subarachnoid cistern
The subarachnoid cisterns are spaces formed by openings in the subarachnoid space, an anatomic space in the meninges of the brain. The space is situated between the two meninges, the arachnoid mater and the pia mater. These cisterns are filled w ...
at the
cerebellopontine angle, an angle created between the
cerebellum
The cerebellum (: cerebella or cerebellums; Latin for 'little brain') is a major feature of the hindbrain of all vertebrates. Although usually smaller than the cerebrum, in some animals such as the mormyrid fishes it may be as large as it or eve ...
and the
pons
The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other mammals, lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum.
The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of ...
on either side. Each cerebellopontine cistern is continuous anteromedially with the
prepontine cistern.
The cistern contains the (ipsilateral)
trigeminal nerve (CN V),
facial nerve (CN VII), and
vestibulocochlear nerve (VIII), the
anterior inferior cerebellar artery
The anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) is one of three pairs of artery, arteries that supplies blood to the cerebellum.
It arises from the basilar artery on each side at the level of the junction between the medulla oblongata and the pons ...
, and superior petrosal vein.
Etymology
The ''
Terminologia Anatomica
''Terminologia Anatomica'' (commonly abbreviated TA) is the international standard for human anatomy, human anatomical terminology. It is developed by the Federative International Programme on Anatomical Terminology (FIPAT) a program of the Inter ...
'' acknowledges the term "pontocerebellar cistern" (Latin: ''cisterna pontocerebellaris'')
and lists cerebellopontine cistern as the English synonym. For the term "
cerebellopontine angle", it lists the Latin synonym "''angulus pontocerebellaris''".
The 8th edition of ''Clinically Oriented Anatomy'' considers the term "cerebellopontine cistern" as a synonym for "pontine cistern"''.
''
References
{{Meninges
Meninges