Neuro-Radiology Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing neuro-radiology lecture notes.

From which direction are CT images of the brain conventionally viewed?

From below, as if looking up into the top of the head.

On a CT scan, which side of the brain is on the left side of the viewer?

The right side of the brain.

In a CT brain image, where is the anterior part of the head located?

At the top of the image.

What is the space formed by the bones of the skull and skull base called?

The cranial vault.

What term describes everything inside the cranial vault?

Intra-cranial.

What term describes everything outside the cranial vault?

Extra-cranial.

What term describes Brain parenchyma pathologies?

Intra-axial

What term describes pathologies arising from meninges or ventricles?

Extra-axial.

What term describes pathologies seen within the ventricles?

Intraventricular.

Name the bones of the skull and skull base.

Frontal, parietal, occipital, ethmoid, sphenoid, and temporal bones.

What appearance do skull sutures have which can help distinguish them from fractures?

Jagged (irregular).

Which CT images allow bones of the skull to be assessed?

Bone window CT images.

Name the main sutures of the skull.

Coronal, sagittal, lambdoid, and squamosal sutures.

Which bones does the coronal suture unite?

Frontal bone with the parietal bones.

Which bones does the sagittal suture unite?

The 2 parietal bones in the midline.

Which bones does the lambdoid suture unite?

The parietal bones with the occipital bone.

Which bones does the squamosal suture unite?

The squamous portion of the temporal bone with the parietal bones.

Which bones does the metopic suture unite?

The 2 frontal bones (if present).

Which bones unite at the pterion?

Frontal, parietal, temporal, and sphenoid bones.

Which artery runs in a groove on the inner table of the skull in the pterion area?

The middle meningeal artery.

Name the cranial fossae at the skull base.

Anterior, middle, and posterior cranial fossae, and the pituitary fossa.

Which part of the brain does the anterior cranial fossa accommodate?

The anterior part of the frontal lobes.

Which part of the brain do the middle cranial fossae accommodate?

The temporal lobes.

Which part of the brain does the posterior cranial fossa accommodate?

The cerebellum and brain stem.

Which gland does the pituitary fossa accommodate?

The pituitary gland.

Name the air sinuses in the skull.

Maxillary sinuses (antra), ethmoid air cells, sphenoid sinus, and frontal sinuses.

With which airways are the sphenoid sinus and ethmoid air cells continuous?

The nasal airways.

With which structure are the mastoid air cells continuous?

The middle ear.

List the meningeal layers.

Dura mater, arachnoid, and pia mater.

What anatomical unit is formed by the dura mater and arachnoid?

They are an anatomical unit, only separated by pathological processes.

Name the infoldings of the meninges which are visible on CT imaging.

The falx cerebri and the tentorium cerebelli.

What is the outermost layer of the meninges, closely applied to the inner table of the skull?

Dura mater.

What space contains delicate trabeculated connective tissue and CSF?

Subarachnoid space.

In the context of subarachnoid hemorrhage or subdural hematoma, what may happen to the tentorium cerebelli?

The tentorium may become more dense due to layering of blood.

In the midline between the left and right cerebral hemispheres, what infolding of the meninges lies?

The falx cerebri.

What is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?

Fluid that surrounds the brain within the sulci, fissures, and basal cisterns, and also centrally within the ventricles.

Name the CSF spaces.

Sulci, fissures, basal cisterns, and ventricles.

What density does CSF have compared to the grey or white matter of the brain?

Lower density, so it appears darker on CT images.

What is a gyrus?

A fold of the brain surface.

What is a sulcus?

A furrow between the gyri which contains CSF.

Which fissure separates the cerebral hemispheres?

The interhemispheric fissure.

Which fissures separate the frontal and temporal lobes?

The Sylvian fissures.

What do the lateral ventricles contain?

The choroid plexus, which produces CSF.

What is the narrow canal that connects the third ventricle to the fourth ventricle?

The aqueduct of Sylvius.

On CT scans, what is the appearance of white matter compared to grey matter?

White matter appears blacker than grey matter as myelin is a fatty substance with comparatively low density.

What separates the frontal lobes from the parietal lobes?

The central sulcus

Name some important grey matter structures visible on imaging of the brain.

Cortex, insula, basal ganglia, and thalamus.

Where is the insula located?

Deep to the Sylvian fissure.

Name the two parts of the basal ganglia.

Lentiform nucleus + caudate nucleus.

What connects with the corona radiata and white matter of the cerebral hemispheres superiorly, and with the brain stem inferiorly?

Internal capsules

What connects white matter of the left and right cerebral hemispheres?

The corpus callosum.

Which structures are accommodated by the posterior fossa?

The cerebellum and brain stem.

Which structures are commonly calcified in the brain?

The choroid plexus, the pineal gland, the basal ganglia, and the falx.

Where is the pineal gland located?

Immediately posterior to the third ventricle.