Human Cranial, Dural, Venous Sinuses, Undergraduate medical students

1. Dural Venous Sinuses

4. • Venous channels situated between inner & outer
layers of Dura mater
• Drain the venous blood of the brain & bones of
the skull.
• Transmit the venous blood to the internal jugular
vein.
• Communicates with the internal vertebral venous
plexus through the foramen magnum
• Also communicates with the scalp veins through
the emissary veins
• Valveless

5.  The Dural sinuses maybe divided into 2 groups
• 1- single: Superior saggital , Inferior saggital &
Occipital
• 2- Paired: Spheno-parietal , Cavernous , Superior
petrosal , Inferior petrosal & Sigmoid.

6. 1- Superior sagittal sinus
Attachments.
• Begins in front at the frontal crest & ends behind
at the internal occipital protuberance
• The superior sagittal sinus receives the following :
• 1- Superior cerebral veins
• 2- dipolic veins
• 3- Emissary veins
• 4- arachnoid granulation
• 5- meningeal veins

7. 2 – Inferior sagittal sinus
• It occupies the posterior 1/2 or 2/3 of the lower
free border of falx cerebri.
• It ends posteriorly by joining the straight sinus
• It receives cerebral veins from the medial surface
of the cerebral hemisphere

8. 3- Straight sinus
• It lies at the junction of the falx cerebri and
tentorium cerebelli
It receives :
• 1- inferior sagital sinus
• 2- great cerebral vein
• It ends at internal occipital protuberance by
becoming the left transverse sinus

9. 4- Transverse sinus
• Paired sinus
• It extends horizontally in the attached border of
tentorium cereblli.
• The right sinus receive the superior sagittal sinus
however ,the left sinus receive the inferior sagittal
sinus
• Each sinus end by becoming continuous with
sigmoid sinus
• Transverse sinus receive the following tributaries :
• 1- Superior petrosal sinus
• 2- cerebellar veins
• 3- Occipital diploic vein.

10. 5- occipital sinus
• It is the smallest dural sinus & is situated in
the attached margin of the falx cerebelli
• It continuates with the internal vertebral
plexus

11. 6- Spheno-parietal sinus
• paired sinus
• It lies on the edge of the lesser wing of sphenoid
7- superior petrosal sinus
• It is a paired sinus situated on the upper border of
the petrous bone
• It lies at the attachment border of tentorium
cerebelli
• It continues with cavernous sinus anteriorly & with
transverse sinus posteriorly.

12. 8- Inferior petrosal sinus
• It is a paired sinus situated between the petrous
bone & basilar part of occipital bone
• It communicates with cavernous sinus anterior &
with superior bulb of internal jugular vein posterior

13. 9- Cavernous sinus
• Position: it lies on the side of the body of sphenoid
• Relation:
A- Medially
• Sphenoid air sinus
• Pituitary gland
B- Laterally
• Trigeminal ganglion
• Uncus of temporal lobe
C- Nerves in its lateral wall
• 3RD cranial nerve
• 4th cranial nerve
• Ophthalmic division of 5th cranial nerve maxillary division of 5th cranial
nerve
D- Structures within its cavity
• Internal carotid artery
• Abducent nerve

14. • Tributaries of cavernous sinus :
A- Anteriorly
• 1- Ophthalmic vein
• 2- Spheno-parietal sinus
B- Posteriorly
• Superior petrosal sinus
• Inferior petrosal sinus
C- Medially
• Anterior & posterior intercavernous sinuses

15. D- Superior
• Superficial middle cerebral vein
• Veins from inferior surface of brain
E- Inferior
• Emissary vein through the carotid canal which
connects the sinus with internal jugular vein
• Emissary vein through the foramen ovale which
connects the sinus with pterygoid venous plexus

16. • The cavernous sinus communicates with the
veins of the face through 2 routes :
• Superior ophthalmic veins,
• Deep facial vein,
• pterygoid plexus of veins &
• emissary vein through the foramen Ovale.

17. 10- Sigmoid sinus
• It is wide S- shaped sinus which begins at the
lateral & of transverse sinus .
• The sinus ends by passing through the jugular
foramen where it becomes continues with
internal jugular vein
It has the following tributaries
• Posterior condylar emissary vein
• Mastoid emissary vein

18. • Applied Anatomy :
• Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis.
• Meningioma.