Cavum septi pellucidi

Cavum septi pellucidi in the fetus as normal finding on prenatal magnetic resonance imaging .

Non-regressed Cavum septi pellucidi in the adult on magnetic resonance imaging, T1 coronal

Cavum septi pellucidi / Cavum vergae in magnetic resonance imaging, T2 axial

As cavum septi pellucidi (also septum pellucidum cyst , Pseudoventrikel , fifth ventricle , Duncan's ventricle , Sylvischer ventricle , Vieussens ' ventricle , Wenzel ventricle and more) is called the cavity between the sheets of the septum pellucidum between the anterior horns of the lateral ventricle of the brain. If there is a dorsal expansion behind the Foramen Monroi , one speaks of a cavum vergae , which is not a different anatomical structure.

The cavum septi pellucidi is a normal anatomical structure in the development of the fetus , which is usually regressed or obliterated in adults . The Cavum septi pellucidi is still found in practically all premature babies, in 85% of normal newborns and in 1 to 20% of adults. Cavum vergae is also evident in 100% of fetuses and 30% of normal newborns up to the 6th month. An incidence of less than 1% is reported in adults.

The cavity usually contains normal CSF . Communication with the other CSF areas can, but does not have to be present. Found incidentally in computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging in adults , the cavity is usually only a few millimeters in size. Even larger findings rarely cause problems. In individual cases, the foramen Monroi is compressed with the formation of hydrocephalus . In these cases, neurosurgical treatment for decompression is necessary.

A cavum septi pellucidi is relatively often recognizable neuropathologically in the early stages of the neurodegenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy .

Differential diagnosis

• Cysts in the velum interpositum : Cavum veli interpositi
• Ependymal cysts (more on the side)
• Parasite cysts
• Neoplastic cysts
• Missing septum pellucidum (looks the same in sagittal layers; differentiation in coronal layers)

swell

• DH Yock: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of CNS Disease Mosby, St. Louis 2002, ISBN 0-323-01172-1
• AJ Barkovich: Pediatric Neuroradioloy Amirsys, Salt Lake City 2007, ISBN 978-1-4160-4918-0
• Monica Epelman et al .: Differential diagnosis of intracranial cystic lesions at head US: correlation with CT and MR imaging. In: Radiographics , 2006, 26: 173-196, PMID 16418251
• A. Sencer et al .: Cerebrospinal fluid dynamics of the cava septi pellucidi and vergae in J. Neurosurg. 2001, PMID 11147881

Individual evidence

1. ^ AC McKee, Stein TD, Kiernan PT, Alvarez VE: The neuropathology of chronic traumatic encephalopathy . In: Brain Pathology . 25, 2015, pp. 350-364. PMC 4526170 (free full text).