Cranial veins, sinus durae matris, cerebral veins

Venous drainage

Superficial Cerebral veins

Structure: The veins of the brain have no muscular walls and no valves.

Superficial cerebral veins: collect blood from cerebral cortex -> drain into the Dural sinuses and are located in the subarachnoid space

• Superior cerebral veins (1): collect from superior hemisphere and drains into sagittal sinus
• Superficial middle cerebral vein (2): runs in the lateral sulcus, collect from lateral surface of the hemisphere and drains into cavernous sinus.
  • Superior anastomosing vein (2.1): connect superficial middle vein and drains into superior vein (draining into superior sagittal sinus)
  • Inferior anastomosing vein (2.2): connect superficial middle vein and drains into inferior vein (draining into transverse sinus)
• Deep middle cerebral vein: collect from insular lobe -> basal vein
• Inferior cerebral veins (4): collect from inferior hemisphere ->transverse sinus, superior and inferior petrosal sinuses
• Basal vein (5):Collects from inferior surface of frontal lobe and adjacent part of diencephalon -> great cerebral vein. the vein originates by the confluence of:
  • Deep middle cerebral vein
  • Anterior cerebral vein
  • Striate veins

Deep Cerebral Veins

Deep cerebral vein: collect from diencephalon and deep parts of the hemispheres -> great cerebral vein

• Internal cerebral vein (1, paired): collect from the basal ganglia, internal capsule, septum, choroid plexus and white matter of hemispheres. Formed by the confluence of:
  • Anterior vein of septum pellucidum: collect from septum and caudate nucleus.
  • Superior choroid vein: collect from choroid plexus of lateral ventricle
  • Superior thalmostriate vein: collect from thalamus, striatum and internal capsule
• Great cerebral vein (2, unpaired): formed by the union of right and left internal cerebral veins (under the splenium of corpus callosum) -> straight sinus
  • Receive blood from basilar vein\

Dural sinuses

Dural Sinus

Their wall consists of a layer of endothelium and a sheet of dura mater. They are valve-less, and unable to collapse if damaged.

Dural Sinus (Sup View)

Dural Venous sinus, lat view from behind

They drain to the internal jugular vein (superior bulb) and communicate with the extracranial veins via emissary veins

• Confluence of sinus (1): near internal occipital protuberance, collect from:
  • o Superior sagittal sinus (1.1): pass in superior midline
    • Arachnoid granulations project into it – CSF absorbed into the sinus
• Straight sinus (1.2): at the junction of falx cerebri and tentorium cerebelli, collect from:
  • Inferior sagittal sinus (1.2.1): in the inferior margin of falx cerebri
  • Great cerebral vein
• Occipital sinus (1.3): originate near foramen magnum
• Marginal sinus (1.4, paired): around foramen magnum, connected to:
  • Caudally: internal vertebral plexus
  • Dorsally: occipital sinus
  • Ventrally: basilar plexus
• Transverse sinus (2): In the groove for transverse sinus, continuous laterally:
  • Sigmoid sinus (2.1): origin site of superior bulb of IJV with inferior petrosal sinus)
• Cavernous sinus (4, paired): Right and left are connected by anterior and posterior intercavernous sinuses, Collect from:
  • superior ophthalmic vein
  • sphenoparietal sinus (4.1): posterior margin of lesser wing
  • superior petrosal sinus (4.2): interconnected with cavernous and sigmoid sinuses)
  • inferior petrosal sinus (4.3): connect the cavernous sinus to jugular foramen
  • The internal carotid artery passes in the sinus with CN III, CN IV, CN VI, CN V 1,2 )
• Basilar plexus (3, sinus): on the clivus

**Pictures from Memorix