Lecture 1: Blood Supply and Ventricular System Flashcards
(75 cards)
CSF is similar to blood ultrafiltrate and contains higher/lower cocentrations of which molecules?
Higher concentrations:
- Sodium
- Chloride
- Magnesium
Lower concentrations:
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Glucose
- Protein
What produces the CSF and primarily in which ventricles?
- Choroid plexus
- Primarily in lateral ventricles and 4th ventricle

What are the 4 ventricles and where are they found?
- 2x lateral ventricles –> in each cerebral hemisphere
- 3rd ventricle —> between thalami
- 4th ventricle –> between cerebellum and pons

What is the general flow of CSF starting in the lateral ventricles all the way to the superior sagittal sinus?

Hydrocephalus is an increase in cerebral mass/size due to presence of excessvie CSF where?
Ventricular system, subarachnoid space, or both!

External hydrocephalus is also know as what; there is an excessive accumulation of CSF where; what are the size of the ventricles like?
- Communicating hydrocephalus
- Excessive CSF in the subarachnoid space
- Normal ventricle size
- Compression of CNS

What are the 2 types of external hydrocephalus; commonly caused by?
- Supratentorial external hydrocephalus = above the tentorium cerebelli
- Most commonly associated w/ senile atrophy of the cortex (i.e., Alzheimer’s disease) - Infratentorial external hydrocephalus = below the tentorium cerebelli

What type of hydrocephalus is shown here?

Supratentorial external hydrocephalus

Internal hydrocephalus is also known as what; what is occuring?
- Noncommunicating hydrocephalus
- CSF produced in the ventricular system does NOT drain into the subarachnoid space
- Results in dilation of the ventricles proximal to the obstruction
3rd ventricle choroid plexus ependyoma causes an obstruction of?
- Interventricular foramen
- CSF backs up into lateral ventricles
Midbrain astrocytoma is causes an obstruction of?
- Cerebral aqueduct
- CSF backsup into the 3rd and lateral ventricles
Arnold-Chiari malformation or Dandy-Walker Cyst causes an obstruction of?
- Median and Lateral aperatures
- CSF backs up into 4th, 3rd, and lateral ventricles
With communicating hydrocephalus CSF can move where, but not move where, which results in a combination of which 2 hydrocephalus?
- CSF can move through the ventricular system into the infratentorial subarachnoid space
- CSF cannot circulate over the cerebrum to be resorbed at the arachnoid villi near the superior sagittal sinus
Results in:
- Hypertrophy of ventricles (internal hydrocephalus)
- Accumulation of CSF in the infratentorial space (infratentorial external hydrocephalus)

Communicating hydrocephalus is caused by an obstruction of; what causes this obstruction?
- Obstruction of narrow space between the tentorial notch and midbrain
- Adhesions of fibrosis in subarachnoid space from —>
- Previous inflammation - infantile meningitis
- Cerebral edema
- Uncal herniation

What are the clinical signs of hydrocephalus in infants/young children versus adults?
- Increased intracranial pressure is partially/completely compensated via enlargement of cranial sutures (children)
- In adults, sutures are fused —> prevent head enlargement, but there is still increased intracranial pressure

Why is Papilledema one of the clinical signs of hydrocephalus/increased intracranial pressure?
- Optic sheath surrounds the optic nerve and inside the sheath is the subarachnoid space
- If CSF increases within subarachnoid space, there will be increased pressure on the optic nerve and can lead to the optic disc bulging out
- One of the key signs of hydrocephalus

What are 3 of the clinical signs of hydrocephalus?
- Papilledema
- Internal strabismus/abducens (CN VI) palsy
- Mental retardation

Where is the internal venous plexus of Batson located, where does it receive drainage from and where does it empty?
- Receives drainage from veins in the spinal cord
- Located in the EPIDURAL space
- Empties into the intervertebral veins and then segmental veins

The internal cerebral vein is located where, receives drainage from what and empties into which vein?
- Runs next to the parahippocampal gyrus
- Receives thalamostriate and anterior septal veins
- Drains into the Great Vein of Galen

Which veins drain into the Great Vein of Galen and where does this vein drain?
- Receives the Internal Cerebral VeinandBasal Vein of Rosenthal
- Drains into the Straight Sinus

What is the significance of an occlusion to the Great Vein of Galen? What structures may be compressed in a Great Vein Varix?
- Occlusion is usually fatal, as it drains the deep cerebrum
- Great vein varix –> may compress the pineal body and posterior commissure

Where does the superior sagittal sinus drain versus the straight sagittal sinus?
- Superior sagittal sinus usually drains into the right transverse sinus
- Straight sinus usually drains into the left transverse sinus

Thrombosis of superior sagittal sinus or right transverse sinus leads to?
Cortical ischemia and/or necrosis

Thrombosis of straight sagittal sinus or left transverse sinus usually results in?
- Ischemia and/or necrosis of deep cerebrum
- Usually fatal














































