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FIG 1. Normal appearance of Meckel's cave.
A, CT scan of temporal bone shows smooth anterior petrous apex scalloping at the trigeminal notch and inferior border of the porus trigeminus that delimits the posterior margin of Meckel's cave. The trigeminal notch is a smoothly scalloped area of the petrous apex on bone windows (arrow) that encloses the posterior portion of Meckel's cave.
B, High-resolution MR image shows CSF signal intensity in Meckel's cave and the contiguous porus trigeminus, the CSF portal by which the trigeminal nerve courses from the prepontine cistern over the petrous apex into Meckel's cave. This axial T2-weighted FSE (4000/94/4) MR image shows the cisternal trigeminal nerves (arrows) as they cross over the petrous apex into Meckel's cave to form the gasserian ganglion.
C, Artist's rendering of temporal bone portrays the normal appearance of the right Meckel's cave (straight black arrow) with dural covering in place. The left petrous apex depicts a PAC. The dura has been removed to demonstrate the gasserian ganglion within Meckel's cave (open arrow) in direct contiguity with the CSF-filled PAC extending posteriorly into the petrous apex (curved arrow). (Reproduced with permission from Electronic Medical Education Resource Group, 2001.)
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