Neuroanatomy, Sylvian Fissure

Excerpt

The Sylvian fissure is the most consistent and distinct landmark of the lateral hemispheric surface of the brain. It is formed by the anatomical relationship between the frontoparietal operculum, the temporal operculum, and the insula. The arachnoid membrane covers the fissure creating the Sylvian cistern, a subarachnoid space that contains important vascular structures surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid. The splitting of the Sylvian fissure, opening the arachnoid layer between the opercula, exposes the superficial Sylvian vein, the middle cerebral artery, the deep middle cerebral vein, and the insula.

The first depiction of the lateral fissure of the brain is attributed to Girolamo Fabrici d’Acquapendente, in one of the plates of his Tabulae Pictae, from 1600. Forty-one years later, in 1641, Thomas Bartholin published the first description and graphic representation of the fissure in the book Casp. Bartolini Institutiones Anatomicae. In 1663, Franciscus de la Böe (Dr. Sylvius) published his book Disputationem Medicarum, where the author described the lateral cerebral sulcus, which thereafter became known as the Sylvian fissure, honoring his name.