Parieto-occipital fissure

Last revised by Calum Worsley on 7 Mar 2024

The parieto-occipital fissure or sulcus, is an oblique sulcus which demarcates the occipital lobe from the parietal lobe on the medial surface of the cerebral hemisphere 1. The parieto-occipital sulcus joins the calcarine sulcus to form a pattern similar to the letter Y which has been placed sideways 2. Specifically, it delineates the precuneus superiorly from the cuneus inferiorly 3.

The lateral aspect of the sulcus marks the superior margin of the imaginary lateral parietotemporal line, a near vertical line drawn superiorly from the preoccipital notch, to demarcate the temporal lobe anteriorly from the occipital lobe posteriorly.

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