Radiological Anatomy: Sylvian Fissure

OVERVIEW

This page is dedicated to covering how the Sylvian fissure will appear across different radiological studies. It is an important anatomical structure in the brain.

The Sylvian fissure is an important anatomical structure (image source).
APPEARANCE OF THE SYLVIAN FISSURE ON SAGITTAL CROSS SECTIONS

The Sylvian fissure has a fairly characteristic appearance that can be appreciated on sagittal cross sections. The image below demonstrates this.

The images above are from a T1 weighted MRI of the head without contrast. One image is shown in the axial plane (top left) and two identical images are shown in the sagittal plane (middle, right). Both sagittal images are identical, except the right sided image has been annotated to show the location of the Sylvian fissure (red line).

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF THIS FISSURE SEEN ON A NON-CONTRAST HEAD CT-SCAN (SAGITTAL ORIENTATION). CLICK THE THUMBNAILS TO VIEW THEM.

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF THIS FISSURE SEEN ON A T1 WEIGHTED HEAD MRI WITHOUT CONTRAST (SAGITTAL ORIENTATION). CLICK THE THUMBNAILS TO VIEW THEM.

APPEARANCE OF THE SYLVIAN FISSURE ON AXIAL CROSS SECTIONS

The Sylvian fissure has a fairly characteristic appearance that can also be appreciated on axial cross sections. The image below demonstrates this.

The images above are from a T1 weighted MRI of the head without contrast. One image is shown in the sagittal plane (top left) and two identical images are shown in the axial plane (middle, right). Both axial images are identical, except the right sided image has been annotated to show the location of the Sylvian fissure (red lines).

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF THIS FISSURE SEEN ON A NON-CONTRAST HEAD CT-SCAN (AXIAL ORIENTATION). CLICK THE THUMBNAILS TO VIEW THEM.

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF THIS FISSURE SEEN ON A T1 WEIGHTED HEAD MRI WITHOUT CONTRAST (AXIAL ORIENTATION). CLICK THE THUMBNAILS TO VIEW THEM.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A very special thanks goes to Dr. Pierre Sasson who made this page possible with his expertise and insight.

 

Page Updated: 12.24.2017