Brain, Meninges & CSF Anatomy
Posterior fossa
The posterior fossa is the space at the back and base of the skull containing the cerebellum and brainstem.
In short: Posterior fossa
- It is relevant to posterior encephaloceles and Chiari malformation.
- It is the infratentorial compartment.
- It houses the cerebellum and brainstem.
- It is examined closely in posterior encephaloceles.
What it is
It is the space at the back and base of the skull that contains the cerebellum and brainstem. It corresponds to the infratentorial compartment, below the tentorium.
Understanding Posterior fossa
Posterior (occipital) encephaloceles and conditions like Chiari malformation and Dandy-Walker malformation involve the structures of the posterior fossa. Because this compartment holds the cerebellum and brainstem, imaging examines it closely when an encephalocele is at the back of the head.
Why it matters
Understanding the posterior fossa helps families see why imaging of posterior encephaloceles focuses on this region and its important structures, and why conditions like Chiari malformation relate to it.
Common questions
What is in the posterior fossa?
The cerebellum and brainstem.
What conditions involve it?
Posterior encephaloceles, Chiari malformation, and Dandy-Walker malformation.
What compartment is it?
The infratentorial compartment.
Bottom line
The posterior fossa holds the cerebellum and brainstem and is involved in posterior encephaloceles.
Browse all 265 Encephalocele definitions
Read the Encephalocele patient guides
Not sure which page you need? Put words to it with the symptom navigator