ANATOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CONCEPT OF THE CONFLUENS OF THE SUBARACHNOID SPACE. IMPLICATIONS IN FORENSIC INVESTIGATION
G. S. Drăgoi
Abstract: The existence of a large number of unsolved issues concerning topografic and structural anatomy of the accumulation (the confluens) and draining (the cistern) compartments of the cerebrospinal fluid from within the subarachnoid space required the analysis of the determining factors that lie at the basis of nomenclature, localization and evaluation of the latter in the sites of the cerebral fossae. The investigation was carried out on 10 brains, 6 taken from adult corpses aged between 45 and 60 years of age and 4 from newborn corpses free from acute, chronic or posttraumatic lesions. Multifactorial anatomy analysis, of the geometric form, its spatial orientation and limitation was carried out on the compartmenting structures. (the confluents and the cisterns), as well as on the arterial and vein vascular structures grouped into 4 cerebral fossae : the rostral cerebral fossa, the basal cerebral fossa, the dorsal cerebral fossa and the caudal cerebral fossa permanently in biunivocal correspondence with the cranial fossae. We believe that the existence of arteries in the cerebral fossae ensures the rhythmicity of the pulsations upon the compartmental structures, the draining of the cerebrospinal fluid into the subarachnoid space. It is equally important to approve that the accumulation compartments of the cerebrospinal fluid should be called confluents of the subarachnoid space, its acceptance in the International Anatomic Terminology repairing a historic error regarding this concept. The results of our study have important implications both in forensic neuropsychiatry as well as in investigation neurosurgery with the view of carrying out the punctures of the confluens. Keywords: subarachnoid space, the confluent of subarachnoid space, cisterns of the subarachnoid space, forensic and neurosurgical investigation
 and draining (the cistern) compartments of the cerebrospinal fluid from within the subarachnoid space required the analysis of the determining factors that lie at the basis of nomenclature, localization and evaluation of the latter in the sites of the cerebral fossae. The investigation was carried out on 10 brains, 6 taken from adult corpses aged between 45 and 60 years of age and 4 from newborn corpses free from acute, chronic or posttraumatic lesions. Multifactorial anatomy analysis, of the geometric form, its spatial orientation and limitation was carried out on the compartmenting structures. (the confluents and the cisterns), as well as on the arterial and vein vascular structures grouped into 4 cerebral fossae : the rostral cerebral fossa, the basal cerebral fossa, the dorsal cerebral fossa and the caudal cerebral fossa permanently in biunivocal correspondence with the cranial fossae. We believe that the existence of arteries in the cerebral fossae ensures the rhythmicity of the pulsations upon the compartmental structures, the draining of the cerebrospinal fluid into the subarachnoid space. It is equally important to approve that the accumulation compartments of the cerebrospinal fluid should be called confluents of the subarachnoid space, its acceptance in the International Anatomic Terminology repairing a historic error regarding this concept. The results of our study have important implications both in forensic neuropsychiatry as well as in investigation neurosurgery with the view of carrying out the punctures of the confluens.&redirect_uri=http://rjlm.ro/index.php/arhiv/928)