The cerebral peduncles are paired structures at the front of the midbrain that contain the large fiber tracts carrying motor signals from the brain down to the spinal cord and sensory signals from the body up to the brain. On neonatal cranial ultrasound, the cerebral peduncles can be seen as paired, slightly echogenic structures at the level of the midbrain, forming part of the brainstem anatomy. While they are not a common site of isolated pathology, they serve as important anatomical landmarks when evaluating the posterior fossa and brainstem structures, and damage to the cerebral peduncles from hemorrhage or infarction can cause significant motor deficits.
Sonography Term