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. 2016 Jul-Sep;10(3):254-258.
doi: 10.1590/S1980-5764-2016DN1003015.

Magendie and Luschka: Holes in the 4th ventricle

Eliasz Engelhardt  1
Affiliations

Magendie and Luschka: Holes in the 4th ventricle

Eliasz Engelhardt. Dement Neuropsychol. 2016 Jul-Sep.

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a complex liquid formed mainly by the choroid plexuses. After filling the ventricular system where it circulates, CSF flows out to the subarachnoid spaces through openings in the 4th ventricle. Following numerous studies on CSF pathways, these openings were first discovered in the 19th century by two notable researchers, François Magendie and Hubert von Luschka, who described the median and lateral openings subsequently named after them. Even after the studies of Axel Key and Gustav Magnus Retzius confirming these openings, their existence was questioned by many anatomists, yet acknowledged by others. Finally gaining the acceptance of all, recognition of the holes endures to the present day. Interest in these openings may be attributed to the several congenital or acquired pathological conditions that may affect them, usually associated with hydrocephalus. We report some historical aspects of these apertures and their discoverers.

O líquido cefalorraquidiano é um fluido complexo formado principalmente pelos plexos coroides que, após preencher o sistema ventricular, onde circula, flui para os espaços subaracnóides através de aberturas do 4o ventrículo. Antecedido por numerosos estudos sobre as vias do líquido cefalorraquidiano, estas aberturas foram descobertas pela primeira vez no século XIX graças a dois pesquisadores notáveis, François Magendie e Hubert von Luschka, que descreveram as aberturas mediana e laterais do 4o ventrículo, as quais receberam, então, seus nomes. Apesar dos estudos de Axel Key e Gustav Magnus Retzius que confirmaram a existência de tais aberturas, estas foram postas em dúvida por muitos anatomistas, mas aceitas por outros, para finalmente serem reconhecidas por todos, o que perdura até os presentes dias. O interesse por essas aberturas pode ser atribuído a diversas condições patológicas congênitas ou adquiridas que podem atingi-las, geralmente associadas à hidrocefalia. Aqui são relatados alguns aspectos históricos sobre essas aberturas e seus descobridores.

Keywords: 4th ventricle; Luschka; Magendie; cerebrospinal fluid; lateral openings; median opening.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. François Magendie - portrait by unknown artist (1822).
Box.
Box.. The experimental findings of Magendie, Luschka, and Key & Retzius.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Hubert von Luschka - painting by M. Müller-Schüppel (1896).
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figures taken from Key and Retzius's Plate III. [A] Figure 12. Cerebellum with medulla oblongata and pons: the medulla oblongata is raised and the arachnoid cutaway in the middle with part of it remaining (a), exposing the cisterna magna and the Apertura inferior ventriculi quarti (Magendie's opening) (d). [B] Figure 13. Medulla oblongata and pons, and the adjacent part of the cerebellum together with the inferior wall of the 4th ventricle. The vermis was cut across, and both lateral halves of the cerebellum bent forward to demonstrate the Aperturae laterales ventriculi quarti (Luschka's openings). To the right side, the inferior wall of the 4th ventricle (a) with its anterior border (b) can be seen. Between the anterior border and the protruding part of the plexus (d), the Apertura lateralis [not labeled] is visible, exposed in full with the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves (e) folded to the side. The left side shows the natural position of the nerves, almost completely covering the opening.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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