| Subdural space | |
|---|---|
 Diagrammatic representation of a section across the top of the skull, showing the membranes of the brain, etc. ("Subdural cavity" visible at left.) | |
 Diagrammatic transverse section of the medulla spinalis and its membranes. (Subdural cavity is colored green, labeled at bottom and top right.) | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | spatium subdurale, cavum subdurale |
| MeSH | D013355 |
| TA98 | A14.1.01.109 |
| TA2 | 5380 |
| FMA | 83803 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
The subdural space is a potential space located at the interface between the dura mater and arachnoid mater.[1] Under normal conditions, there is no pre-formed anatomical space between the dura and arachnoid. In pathological or traumatic states, the interface may become occupied by blood (subdural hematoma), cerebrospinal fluid (subdural hygroma), or pus (abscess), and this is then described clinically as a subdural space.[2] When a subdural space is present, it is generally understood to reflect separation or dissection within the weak dural border cell layer rather than a naturally existing cavity between dura and arachnoid.[2]
In the cranial cavity, the term subdural is used for collections between the dura and arachnoid over the cerebral convexities, along the falx cerebri and tentorium cerebelli, and can extend widely because there are no firm internal partitions within the subdural compartment.[3][2]
In the vertebral canal, the meninges similarly delineate epidural, subdural, and subarachnoid compartments; subdural anatomy is clinically relevant in neuraxial procedures and complications such as inadvertent subdural block.[4]
References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 875 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
- ^ Ghannam, Jack Y.; Al Kharazi, Khalid A. (24 July 2023). Neuroanatomy, Cranial Meninges. StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- ^ a b c Haines, DE; Harkey HL; al-Mefty O (January 1993). "The subdural space: a new look at an outdated concept". Neurosurgery. 32 (1): 111–120. doi:10.1227/00006123-199301000-00017. PMID 8421539.
- ^ Hall, Walter A.; De Jesus, Orlando (6 October 2024). Subdural Empyema. StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- ^ Macpherson, D; Quondamatteo F; Broom M (May 2022). "Update on applied epidural anatomy". BJA Education. 22 (5): 182–189. doi:10.1016/j.bjae.2021.12.006. PMC 9039569. PMID 35496647.
See also
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