[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Anatomy](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/) › [Head and neck](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/region/head-and-neck/) › Lateral ventricles [Nervous system](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/system/nervous-system/) · [Head and neck](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/region/head-and-neck/) # Lateral ventricles The lateral ventricles are two C-shaped fluid-filled cavities inside the halves of the brain; they hold cerebrospinal fluid and enlarge in hydrocephalus. Official name: Lateral ventricle [See in 3D →](https://durgical.app/?from=durgipedia&lang=en#region=head_neck&select=lateral_ventricles&side=r) Opens in the Durgical app, no sign-up needed. ## What it is Two C-shaped fluid cavities inside the hemispheres. ## What it does Hold cerebrospinal fluid; they enlarge in hydrocephalus. ## Key points - Five parts: frontal horn, body, atrium (trigone), occipital horn and temporal horn; each ventricle opens into the [third ventricle](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/third-ventricle/) through an interventricular foramen (of Monro) - No choroid plexus in the frontal and occipital horns, which is why ventricular catheters are aimed at the frontal horn (Kocher point) or the occipital horn - In early hydrocephalus the temporal horns widen and the frontal horns round out; in atrophy the ventricles and the sulci enlarge together - Normal-pressure hydrocephalus: gait trouble, urinary incontinence and dementia with large ventricles; described by the Colombian neurosurgeon Salomón Hakim (Hakim–Adams syndrome) ## Key facts **Where** Inside each hemisphere (frontal, occipital, temporal horns) **Blood supply** Choroid plexus: anterior and posterior choroidal arteries **Function** CSF -> interventricular foramina -> third ventricle ## Relations **Above** [Corpus callosum](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/corpus-callosum/), forming the roof of the frontal horn and body (and, as the tapetum, the roof and lateral wall of the occipital and temporal horns); in the roof of the temporal horn, the tail of the [caudate nucleus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/caudate-nucleus/) and the stria terminalis **Medial** Septum pellucidum between the two frontal horns and bodies; the [fornix](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/fornix/) along the lower medial wall of the body; on the medial wall of the occipital horn, the bulb (forceps major) above and the calcar avis (raised by the calcarine sulcus) below **Lateral** Head of the caudate nucleus bulging into the frontal horn; the optic radiation outside the temporal and occipital horns **Below** Floor of the body, lateral to medial: body of the caudate, the groove with the stria terminalis and thalamostriate vein, the [thalamus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/thalamus/), the [choroid plexus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/choroid-plexus/) and the fornix; floor of the temporal horn: the [hippocampus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/hippocampus/) with the fimbria, and the collateral eminence laterally **Contents** CSF, and the choroid plexus in the body, atrium and temporal horn ## How to find it Kocher point, the usual entry for a frontal horn catheter, lies about 11 cm behind the nasion and 3 cm from the midline (near the mid-pupillary line), in front of the coronal suture; the catheter is aimed toward the inner corner of the eye on that side and the front of the ear (some texts: 10–11 cm and 2.5–3 cm). ## On imaging Cranial ultrasound through the anterior fontanelle in babies; CT or MRI later. The Evans index (widest span of the frontal horns divided by the widest inner skull diameter) above 0.3 indicates enlarged ventricles. A calcified choroid plexus in the atrium is a common normal finding. ## Common problems - Hydrocephalus: fluid builds up and the ventricles enlarge, raising pressure (headache, vomiting; in babies a growing head). ## How it is diagnosed Ultrasound in babies; CT or MRI. ## Treatment - A shunt (a thin tube from the ventricle to the [abdomen](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/region/abdomen/)) or an endoscopic opening (third ventriculostomy). ## Clinical notes - Ventriculoperitoneal shunt: a catheter in the frontal or occipital horn drains CSF through a valve under the [skin](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/skin/) into the abdomen; blockage, infection and overdrainage are its problems - External ventricular drain: placed through Kocher point into the frontal horn in emergencies - Preterm babies bleed from the germinal matrix next to the caudate head, and the blood can fill the ventricles - In normal-pressure hydrocephalus, improved walking after removing CSF by lumbar puncture supports a shunt ## Anatomical variants - Mild asymmetry between the two lateral ventricles is common and usually of no significance - Cavum septi pellucidi: a fluid space between the two leaves of the septum pellucidum; normal in the fetus and newborn, it persists into adult life in some people, at times extending backward as a cavum vergae - The occipital horns vary most in size and are often asymmetric, the left usually the larger; the calcar avis is occasionally absent ## Development Each one is the cavity of a side pouch of the telencephalon, a remnant of the hollow neural tube. As the hemisphere grows forward, up, back and then down around the [insula](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/insula/), the cavity is drawn into its C shape, ending in the temporal horn. ## Memory aid Normal-pressure hydrocephalus: 'wet, wobbly and wacky' (incontinence, gait, dementia). ## Related conditions - [Fumarase deficiency](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/fumarase-deficiency/) - [Neurocysticercosis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/neurocysticercosis/) - [Hydrocephalus](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/hydrocephalus/) - [Zika virus infection](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/zika-virus-infection/) - [Cryptococcal meningitis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/cryptococcal-meningitis/) - [Raised intracranial pressure and brain herniation](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/raised-intracranial-pressure-and-brain-herniation/) - [Tuberous sclerosis complex](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/tuberous-sclerosis-complex/) - [Prematurity and its complications](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/prematurity-and-its-complications/) - [Congenital (TORCH) infections: syphilis, toxoplasmosis, CMV and Zika](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/congenital-infections-syphilis-toxoplasmosis-cmv-and-zika/) - [Intraventricular haemorrhage of prematurity](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/intraventricular-haemorrhage-of-prematurity/) ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## What are the parts of each lateral ventricle, and how does it drain? Frontal horn, body, atrium, occipital horn and temporal horn; it drains into the third ventricle through an interventricular foramen (of Monro). ## Why are ventricular catheters aimed at the frontal horn of the lateral ventricle? The frontal and occipital horns have no choroid plexus; the frontal horn is reached through Kocher point. ## What is the triad of normal-pressure hydrocephalus? Gait trouble, urinary incontinence and dementia with large ventricles; described by the Colombian neurosurgeon Salomón Hakim (Hakim–Adams syndrome). ## What value of the Evans index indicates enlarged lateral ventricles? Above 0.3: the widest span of the frontal horns divided by the widest inner skull diameter. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/anatomy/lateral-ventricle/) Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional. ## Its names **Official Latin (TA2)** ventriculus lateralis TA2 5639 **Official Spanish (DeCS)** Ventrículos Laterales DeCS D020547 **English (TA2)** Lateral ventricle ## Related - [Caudate nucleus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/caudate-nucleus/) - [Hippocampus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/hippocampus/) - [Choroid plexus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/choroid-plexus/) Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [DeCS](https://decs.bvsalud.org/es/ths/resource/?id=34049&filter=ths_termall&q=Lateral%20Ventricles); [Neuroanatomy, Ventricular System](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532932/); Anatomy of the Human Body (20th ed.): Development of the Nervous System (Lea & Febiger (Gray's Anatomy, 1918), 1918) · adapted, Public domain; [13.1 The Embryologic Perspective](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/13-1-the-embryologic-perspective) (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); Tratado de anatomía humana (9.ª ed.), tomo II, Libro V, cap. VI: Cerebro (configuración exterior e interior, ventrículos, formaciones coroideas, epífisis). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lateral-ventricle/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lateral-ventricle/