Endoscopic Ventriculostomy
This Illustration shows a coronal section of the brain at the level of the floor of the third ventricle.
This procedure allows patients suffering from hydrocephaly to effectively drain the CSF. A small burr hole is drilled into the skull and an endoscope is inserted. It is run along a precise path that enters the anterior horn of the lateral ventricle, runs through the foramen of monroe (which connects the lateral ventricle to the third ventricle) and pierces the floor of the third ventricle. However, the thalamic nuclei in this area can in rare cases be damaged using this technique.
Anatomy in this medical illustration: Lateral preoptic nucleus, Medial preoptic nucleus, Lateral hypothalamic area, Anterior hypothalamic area, Dorsal hypothalamic area, Dorsomedial nucleus, Posterior hypothalamic area, Ventromedial nucleus, Mamillary complex, Vertebral artery, Basilar artery, Posterior cerebral artery, Posterior Communicating Artery (Pcomm), Internal carotid artery, Middle cerebral artery, Medial frontobasal artery, Anterior cerebral artery, Orbitofrontal artery, Frontopolar artery, Pericallosal artery, Callosomarginal artery, Internal Parietal artery, and Superior parietal artery.