Prepontine cistern

Last revised by Raymond Chieng ◉ on 25 Apr 2023

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Jones J, Chieng R, Carpenter G, et al. Prepontine cistern. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 28 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-5863

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-5863

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/5863

rID:

5863

Article created:

24 Mar 2009, Jeremy Jones ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Jeremy Jones had no recorded disclosures.

View Jeremy Jones's current disclosures

Last revised:

25 Apr 2023, Raymond Chieng ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Raymond Chieng had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.

View Raymond Chieng's current disclosures

Revisions:

11 times, by 8 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Central Nervous System

Sections:

Anatomy

Tags:

neuroanatomy

Synonyms:

Basilar cistern
Prepontine cistern

The prepontine cistern, or simply pontine cistern, is an unpaired CSF-filled subarachnoid cistern located ventral to the pons and dorsal to the clivus.

It is bounded by arachnoid membranes which separate it from surrounding cisterns.

superiorly the mesencephalic leaf of the membrane of Liliequist, above which is the interpeduncular cistern
inferiorly the medial pontomedullary membrane, below which is the premedullary cistern
laterally the anterior pontine membranes, lateral to each are the cerebellopontine cisterns through which most CSF enters the prepontine cistern

A number of vessels and a cranial nerve course through this cistern and the content is somewhat variably described depending on how the borders of the cistern are defined. Using the arachnoid membranes as landmarks result in the least structures, limited to merely the basilar artery, some of its branches (pontine perforators and the origin of the AICA) and the transverse pontine veins ⁶.

Preganglionic fibres of the trigeminal nerve pass through the prepontine cistern before entering Meckel's cave through porus trigeminus ⁷.

The abducens nerve (CN VI), often cited as traversing the prepontine cistern is more accurately considered coursing in the anterior pontine membrane and thus, not strictly speaking within the cistern but rather in its wall ⁶.