European Journal of Anatomy

Official Journal of The Spanish Society of Anatomy
Cover Volume 13 - Number 1
Eur J Anat, 13 (1): 23-32 (2009)

Anatomo-radiological correlation of the superior aspect of the temporal lobe (planum supratemporale)

Martinez F., Telis O., Pozzoli G.C., Carriquiry G.E., Rocca A., Chiaradia B.

Department of Anatomy, Facultad de Medicina CLAEH, Maldonado, Uruguay; Department of Anatomy, Facultad de Medicina (Universidad de la República, UDELAR), Montevideo, Uruguay; Department of Neurological Surgery, Hospital de Clínicas, Facultad de Medicina (UDELAR), Montevideo, Uruguay; Department of Clinical Radiology, Hospital de Clínicas, Facultad de Medicina (UDELAR), Montevideo, Uruguay; Facultad de Medicina CLAEH, Maldonado, Uruguay; Mississipi 1536, Block D, Barrio Malvín, Montevideo, Uruguay

ABSTRACT The superior aspect of the temporal lobe or planum supratemporale (PS) forms the inferior limit of the sylvian fissure. It is related to the frontal, parietal and insular lobes, and with the sylvian vessels (arteries and veins). Recognition of the portions of PS in imaging studies, such as MRI or cranial CT, is important for neuroradiologists, neurologists and neurosurgeons. We used 10 formalin-fixed cerebral hemispheres. We injected red latex into the arterial system in one. We made horizontal, coronal and sagittal cuts in 7 hemispheres, and performed white matter dissection in two. We compared the anatomical specimens with MRI, cranial CT and cerebral angiographies. The PS can be divided into three portions from front to back: the planum polare (PP), Heschl's gyrus (HG) and the planum temporale (PT). PP and PT are flat, and HG is elevated. The obliquity of HG is oriented in such a way that it delineates the location of the ventricular atrium. The three parts of PS can be readily identified in MRI, but a certain degree of brain atrophy facilitates its identification in CT. In cerebral angiography, the different segments of the middle cerebral artery serve as a guide for recognizing the anatomical structures of the temporal lobe and insular region. Anatomical knowledge is of paramount importance to recognize the different parts of the PS in radiological studies. This anatomic-image-based knowledge can be applied in surgical planning.

Keywords: anatomical variation, article, brain angiography, brain radiography, comparative anatomy, computer assisted tomography, correlation analysis, functional magnetic resonance imaging, human, human tissue, image analysis, insula, neuroanatomy, planum supratemporale, temporal lobe

European Journal of anatomy
ISSN 2340-311X (Online)