Meckel’s cave
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Di Muzio B, Sharma R, Shadwell J, et al. Meckel’s cave. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 22 Jan 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-13218
rID:
13218
Article created:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Bruno Di Muzio had no recorded disclosures.
View Bruno Di Muzio's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Rohit Sharma had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Rohit Sharma's current disclosures
Revisions:
21 times, by
14 contributors -
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Systems:
Sections:
Synonyms:
- Trigeminal cave
- Meckel’s cavity
- Meckel's cave
- Cavum trigeminale
- Cavum Meckelii
- Meckel cave
Meckel's cave, also known as trigeminal cave, trigeminal cavity, or Meckel cavity, is a cerebrospinal fluid-containing dural pouch in the middle cranial fossa and opening from the posterior cranial fossa that houses the trigeminal ganglion.
On this page:
Gross anatomy
Relations
Meckel’s cave is situated at the posterolateral aspect of the cavernous sinus on either side of the sphenoid bone. Medial to the ganglion in Meckel cave is the internal carotid artery in the posterior portion of the cavernous sinus. Inferior is the motor root of the trigeminal nerve and the petrous apex of the petrous temporal bone with the internal carotid artery traversing the carotid canal. The entrance of the cave (porus trigeminus) is situated between the superior and inferior petrosal sinuses.
History and etymology
It is named after the German anatomist Johann Friedrich Meckel (the elder) (1724-1774) who wrote his doctoral thesis on the trigeminal nerve (V) which was published in 1748, and contained the first description of the cavum Meckelii 2. Meckel's grandson, also called Johann Friedrich Meckel (1781-1833), and thus nicknamed "the younger", was the eponymous discoverer of Meckel diverticulum 2.
Related pathology
There are many lesions of Meckel cave:
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extrinsic lesions: destroy adjacent bone as they extend toward the Meckel cave
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intrinsic lesions: expand Meckel cave
Meckel's cave may also be dilated in the absence of a lesion, e.g. in idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
Quiz questions
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References
- 1. Kamel HA, Toland J. Trigeminal nerve anatomy: illustrated using examples of abnormalities. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2001;176 (1): 247-51. AJR Am J Roentgenol (full text) - Pubmed citation
- 2. Janjua RM, Schultka R, Goebbel L, Pait TG, Shields CB. The legacy of Johann Friedrich Meckel the Elder (1724-1774): a 4-generation dynasty of anatomists. (2010) Neurosurgery. 66 (4): 758-70; discussion 770-1. doi:10.1227/01.NEU.0000367997.45720.A6 - Pubmed
- 3. Malhotra A, Tu L, Kalra VB, Wu X, Mian A, Mangla R, Michaelides E, Sanelli P, Gandhi D. Neuroimaging of Meckel's cave in normal and disease conditions. (2018) Insights into imaging. 9 (4): 499-510. doi:10.1007/s13244-018-0604-7 - Pubmed
Incoming Links
Articles:
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (mnemonic)
- Pterygopalatine fossa
- Accessory meningeal artery
- Prepontine cistern
- Gradenigo syndrome
- Meckel cave lesions (differential)
- Petrous part of temporal bone
- Porus trigeminus
- Petrous apex
- Melanotic meningioma
- Pituitary MRI (an approach)
- Trigeminal nerve
- Cavernous sinus
- Trigeminal ganglion
- Petrous apicitis
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension
- Trigeminal schwannoma
- Meningeal melanocytoma
- Trigeminal neuralgia protocol (MRI)
- Petrous apex cephalocele
Cases:
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension
- Meningioma - Meckel's cave
- Meningioma
- Middle cranial fossa rhabdomyosarcoma
- Trigeminal amyloidoma
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension
- Cerebral venous thrombosis with secondary intracranial hypertension
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension
- Large cerebellopontine angle meningioma with obstructive hydrocephalus
- Cerebellopontine angle meningioma
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension
- Meningioma - cavernous sinus
- Trigeminal schwannoma
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension
- Bilateral plexiform neurofibromas of the trigeminal and facial nerves - NF1
- Cerebral venous thrombosis with secondary intracranial hypertension
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension
- Epidermoid cyst of the cerebellopontine cistern
- Epidermoid cyst of the cerebellopontine cistern
- Cerebral venous thrombosis with secondary intracranial hypertension
Multiple choice questions:
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