Intracranial Venous System Overview

TERMINOLOGY

Abbreviations

• Superior sagittal sinus (SSS)

• Inferior sagittal sinus (ISS)

• Internal cerebral vein (ICV)

• Straight sinus (SS)

• Great cerebral vein (vein of Galen, VofG)

• Transverse sinus (TS)

• Superior/inferior petrosal sinuses (SPS/IPS)

• Cavernous sinus (CS)

• Internal jugular vein (IJV)

• Basal vein of Rosenthal (BVR)

• Superficial, deep middle cerebral veins (SMCV; DMCV)

Definitions

• Dural sinuses are large, endothelial-lined trabeculated

venous channels encased within folds/reflections of dura

that define, form their walls

• Cerebral veins are thin-walled, valveless structures that

cross subarachnoid space (SAS), pierce arachnoid/inner dura

to enter dural venous sinus

GROSS ANATOMY

Overview

• Dural venous sinuses (divided into 2 groups)

○ Anteroinferior group (CS, SPS/IPS, clival, sphenoparietal)

○ Posterosuperior group (SSS, ISS, SS, TS, sigmoid,

occipital)

• Cerebral veins (divided into 3 groups)

○ Superficial ("external") veins (3 subgroups)

– Superior: 8-12 smaller cortical veins over hemispheres,

vein of Trolard

– Middle: SMCV, vein of Labbé

– Inferior: DMCV, BVR

○ Deep ("internal") veins

– Subependymal veins

– ICVs (formed by thalamostriate, septal veins)

– Great cerebral vein (VofG)

○ Brainstem/posterior fossa veins (3 subgroups)

– Superior (galenic) group

– Anterior (petrosal) group

– Posterior (tentorial) group

• Venous vascular territories

○ More variable, less well-known than arterial territories

○ General concepts

– Venous drainage generally radial, centrifugal

(exception = deep cerebral structures)

– Much of middle/superior brain surfaces (cortex,

subcortical white matter) drained by cortical veins to

SSS