Lumbar cribriform fascia: appearance at freezing microtomy and MR imaging.

Abstract

Axial T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images and exactly corresponding sections obtained with freezing microtomy of cadaveric lumbosacral spinal columns were compared to describe the MR appearance of the cribriform fascia within the neural foramen. On anatomic sections, the cribriform fascia was identified as a thin sheet of tissue in the lateral neural foramen. On MR images, the cribriform fascia appeared as a thin band of low signal intensity, which contrasted with the high-signal-intensity epidural fat. The cribriform fascia is another landmark in the neural foramen that can be identified with MR imaging.