Occipital sinus

Last revised by Naim Qaqish on 6 Apr 2021

The occipital sinus is one of the smallest dural venous sinuses and lies, as its name suggests, on the inner surface of the occipital bone. Tributaries from the marginal sinus of the foramen magnum, some of which connect with both the sigmoid sinus and vertebral venous plexus, coalesce to pass in the attached margin of the falx cerebelli to drain posterosuperiorly at the confluence of the sinuses 1,2

The occipital sinus is worth mentioning when reporting posterior fossa masses or conditions that will require a posterior fossa craniotomy, as the sinus may be large or, more importantly, off midline. 

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Cases and figures

  • Case 1: with normal transverse sinuses
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  • Case 2: draining into right sigmoid sinus
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  • Case 3: with atresia of transverse sinuses
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  • Case 4: draining into right internal jugular vein
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  • Case 5: bilateral
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