Pineal gland [Neurosurgery Wiki]

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=====Pineal gland=====
{{ http://www.med-health.net/images/10404912/image001.jpg}}

The pineal [[gland]], also known as the pineal body, conarium or epiphysis cerebri, is a small endocrine gland in the brain. It produces the serotonin derivative [[melatonin]].

Its shape resembles a tiny pine cone (hence its name), and it is located in the epithalamus, near the centre of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two halves of the thalamus join.

The base is the posterior wall of the [[third ventricle]].

The splenium of the [[corpus callosum]] lies above.

The [[thalamus]] surrounds both sides.

It projects posteriorly and inferiorly into the [[quadrigeminal cistern]].

==== Tissue ====
The pineal body consists in humans of a lobular parenchyma of [[pinealocyte]]s surrounded by [[connective tissue]] spaces. The gland's surface is covered by a pial capsule. The pineal gland consists mainly of pinealocytes, but four other cell types have been identified.

====Arterial vascularization====

The arterial vascularization of the pineal gland (PG) remains a debatable subject.

The lack of knowledge in this field contributes to the likelihood of complications occurring during surgery in this area. This emphasizes the necessity of showing these feeding arteries and the relationship between them in this clinically and surgically important area 
((http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/42/art%253A10.1007%252Fs00381-012-2018-z.pdf?auth66=1397733514_1bee44f55b6c729d7ae943b5cd5548e6&ext=.pdf))

The pineal gland (PG) is arterialized by branches deriving from the [[anterior cerebral artery]] and [[posterior cerebral artery]]. 

Studies regarding the arterial vascularization of the PG have been carried out on humans by Duvernoy 
((Duvernoy HM, Parratte B, Tatu L, Vuiller F (2000) The human
pineal gland: relationships with surrounding structures and blood
supply. Neurol Res 22:747–790)).

The main artery of the PG was the [[lateral pineal artery]], and it originated from the posterior circulation. The other arteries included the [[medial pineal artery]] from the posterior circulation and the [[rostral pineal artery]] mainly from the anterior circulation. 

The arterial supply obtained through several groups of pineal arteries stemming mainly from the [[posteromedial choroidal artery]]
((Kahilogullari G, Ugur HC, Comert A, Brohi RA, Ozgural O, Ozdemir M, Karahan ST. Arterial vascularization of the pineal gland. Childs Nerv Syst. 2013 Oct;29(10):1835-41. doi: 10.1007/s00381-012-2018-z. Epub 2013 Jan 20. PubMed PMID: 23334574.)).
----
see [[Pineal gland calcification]]

===== Pineal region tumor =====
[[Pineal region tumor]]