The transverse sinuses (left and right lateral sinuses), within the human head, are two areas beneath the brain which allow blood to drain from the back of the head. They run laterally in a

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...

along the interior surface of the

occipital bone The occipital bone () is a neurocranium, cranial dermal bone and the main bone of the occiput (back and lower part of the skull). It is trapezoidal in shape and curved on itself like a shallow dish. The occipital bone lies over the occipital lob ...

. They drain from the confluence of sinuses (by the internal occipital protuberance) to the

sigmoid sinuses The sigmoid sinuses (sigma- or s-shaped hollow curve), also known as the , are paired dural venous sinuses within the skull that receive blood from posterior transverse sinuses. Structure The sigmoid sinus is a dural venous sinus situated within ...

, which ultimately connect to the

internal jugular vein The internal jugular vein is a paired jugular vein that collects blood from the brain and the superficial parts of the face and neck. This vein runs in the carotid sheath with the common carotid artery and vagus nerve. It begins in the posteri ...

. ''See diagram (at right)'': labeled under the brain as "" (for Latin: ''sinus transversus''

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482257]

Structure

The transverse sinuses are of large size and begin at the internal occipital protuberance; one, generally the right, being the direct continuation of the

superior sagittal sinus The superior sagittal sinus (also known as the superior longitudinal sinus), within the human head, is an unpaired dural venous sinus lying along the attached margin of the falx cerebri. It allows blood to drain from the lateral aspects of the a ...

, the other of the straight sinus. Each transverse sinus passes lateral and forward, describing a slight curve with its convexity upward, to the base of the petrous portion of the

temporal bone The temporal bone is a paired bone situated at the sides and base of the skull, lateral to the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex. The temporal bones are overlaid by the sides of the head known as the temples where four of the cranial bone ...

, and lies, in this part of its course, in the attached margin of the

tentorium cerebelli The cerebellar tentorium or tentorium cerebelli (Latin for "tent of the cerebellum") is one of four dural folds that separate the cranial cavity into four (incomplete) compartments. The cerebellar tentorium separates the cerebellum from the cere ...

; it then leaves the tentorium and curves downward and medialward (an area sometimes referred to as the sigmoid sinus) to reach the

jugular foramen A jugular foramen is one of the two (left and right) large foramina (openings) in the base of the skull, located behind the carotid canal. It is formed by the temporal bone and the occipital bone. It allows many structures to pass, including the ...

, where it ends in the

. In its course it rests upon the squama of the occipital, the mastoid angle of the parietal, the mastoid part of the temporal, and, just before its termination, the jugular process of the occipital; the portion which occupies the groove on the mastoid part of the temporal is sometimes termed the sigmoid sinus. The transverse sinuses are frequently of unequal size, with the one formed by the

being the larger; they increase in size as they proceed, from back to center. On transverse section, the horizontal portion exhibits a prismatic form, the curved portion has a semicylindrical form. They receive the blood from the superior petrosal sinuses at the base of the petrous portion of the temporal bone; they communicate with the veins of the pericranium by means of the

mastoid The mastoid part of the temporal bone is the posterior (back) part of the temporal bone, one of the bones of the skull. Its rough surface gives attachment to various muscles (via tendons) and it has openings for blood vessels. From its borders, t ...

and condyloid

emissary vein The emissary veins connect the extracranial venous system with the intracranial venous sinuses. They connect the veins outside the cranium to the venous sinuses inside the cranium. They drain from the scalp, through the skull, into the larger men ...

s; and they receive some of the inferior cerebral and inferior cerebellar veins, and some veins from the

diploë Diploë ( or ) is the spongy cancellous bone separating the inner and outer layers of the cortical bone of the skull. It is a subclass of trabecular bone. In the cranial bones, the layers of compact cortical tissue are familiarly known as the ...

. The petrosquamous sinus, when present, runs backward along the junction of the squama and petrous portion of the temporal, and opens into the transverse sinus.

Additional images

File:Gray133.png, Left parietal bone. Inner surface. File:Gray567.png, Dura mater and its processes exposed by removing part of the right half of the skull, and the brain File:Gray570.png, The sinuses at the base of the skull File:Gray908.png, Horizontal section through left ear; upper half of section File:Gray1198.png, Relations of the brain and middle meningeal artery to the surface of the skull File:Gray1209.png, Left temporal bone showing surface markings for the tympanic antrum (red), transverse sinus (blue), and facial nerve (yellow) File:Transverse sinus 2.jpg, Transverse sinuses File:Transverse sinuses 2.jpg, Transverse sinuses

References

External links

Cerebral Venous Sinuses
at neuroangio.org {{Authority control Veins of the head and neck Human head and neck Neurosurgery Cardiovascular system

Structure

Additional images

See also

References

External links