Brainstem evaluation with CT cisternography.

Seventy-eight positive contrast computed tomography (CT) cisternograms were reviewed to assess the normal anatomy of the brainstem and its surrounding cisterns. Normal brainstem and cisternal anatomy was found to be constant and symmetrical. The review included six patients with brainstem gliomas and five patients with extraaxial masses. In these patients CT cisternography accurately identified mass formation and permitted the confident distinction of extraaxial from intra-axial masses. CT cisternography is a safe and accurate method for evaluating the anterior compartment of the posterior fossa. This procedure is particularly applicable to those cases where conventional CT yields insufficient diagnostic information.