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Related Experiment Videos

The "subdural" space: a new look at an outdated concept

D E Haines1, H L Harkey, O al-Mefty

  • 1Department of Anatomy, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.

Neurosurgery
|January 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary

The dura-arachnoid junction lacks a natural space; subdural hematomas arise from damage to the weak dural border cell layer, not a preexisting subdural space.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Anatomy

Background:

  • The traditional understanding posits a preexisting subdural space between the arachnoid and dura mater.
  • Subdural hematomas and hygromas are often attributed to fluid accumulation within this presumed space.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the ultrastructure of the meninges, focusing on the dura-arachnoid interface.
  • To determine the existence of a naturally occurring space at the dura-arachnoid junction.

Main Methods:

  • Electron microscopy was utilized to examine the fine structure of the meninges.
  • Histological analysis focused on the cellular composition and extracellular matrix of the dura and arachnoid layers.

Main Results:

  • The dura mater consists of fibroblasts and abundant collagen.
  • A specialized dural border cell layer at the dura-arachnoid junction exhibits flattened fibroblasts, extracellular spaces, and few cell junctions, representing a structurally weak plane.
  • The arachnoid layer is characterized by tightly packed cells with numerous junctions, forming a barrier, and lacks extracellular space and collagen.

Conclusions:

  • Electron microscopy reveals no naturally occurring space at the dura-arachnoid junction under normal conditions.
  • Pathological or traumatic events can create a space by cleaving through the weak dural border cell layer.
  • This newly formed space is not truly subdural but exists within the dural border cell layer itself.

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