Crural cistern

Number 2

This cistern is situated around the ventrolateral aspect of the midbrain.

It contains:

The anterior choroidal artery.

The medial posterior choroidal artery.

The basal vein of Rosenthal.

Dissection along the posterior communicating artery and anterior choroidal artery in the carotid-oculomotor triangle to open the crural cistern is used to detach the temporal lobe 1).

1)
Winkler EA, Burkhardt JK, Rutledge WC, Rick JW, Partow CP, Yue JK, Birk H, Bach AM, Raygor KP, Lawton MT. Reduction of shunt dependency rates following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage by tandem fenestration of the lamina terminalis and membrane of Liliequist during microsurgical aneurysm repair. J Neurosurg. 2017 Dec 15:1-7. doi: 10.3171/2017.5.JNS163271. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 29243978.