Tentorium cerebelli

Hello everyone! This is Matt from Kenhub, and in this tutorial, we're going to be looking at an extension of the dura mater, the tentorium cerebelli. The name tentorium cerebelli is Latin for "tent of the cerebellum". It lies in the axial plane and is arched and elevated in the middle giving it a tent-like appearance. This extension of the dura mater is situated perpendicular to the falx cerebri. The tentorium cerebelli attaches at the midline of the falx cerebri and contains the straight sinus, which can be seen here highlighted in green.

The tentorium cerebelli divides the cranium into supratentorial and infratentorial compartments by covering the cerebellum and separating it from the inferior aspect of the occipital lobe to which it provides support. The anterior free border of the tentorium cerebelli is known as the tentorial notch or tentorial incisure. It is concave and extends anteriorly to attach to the anterior clinoid process of the sphenoid bone.

The convex posterior margin of the tentorium cerebelli is attached to the transverse ridges on the inner surface of the occipital bone. It separates into the two layers of the dura mater posterolaterally and contains the transverse sinus, highlighted here in green on the image to the left. At its anterolateral margin, the tentorium cerebelli is attached to the superior border of the petrous part of the temporal bone and encloses the superior petrosal sinus, shown here in green on the image to the right.

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