Sigmoid sinus
Last revised by Craig Hacking on 20 Dec 2021
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Gaillard F, Hacking C, Bell D, et al. Sigmoid sinus. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 11 Dec 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-5250
rID:
5250
Article created:
25 Dec 2008, Frank Gaillard ◈
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Frank Gaillard had no recorded disclosures.
View Frank Gaillard's current disclosuresLast revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Craig Hacking had no recorded disclosures.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosuresRevisions:
7 times, by 5 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
Synonyms:
- Sigmoid sinuses
The sigmoid sinus (plural: sigmoid sinuses) is a paired structure and one of the dural venous sinuses. It is the continuation of the transverse sinus (which is similarly variable in size) and becomes the sigmoid sinus as the tentorium cerebelli ends. It is here that the sinus receives the superior petrosal sinus.
It passes inferiorly in an "S"-shaped groove posteromedial to the mastoid air-cells to the jugular foramen, where it ends in the jugular bulb, in the posterior half of the foramen (pars vascularis). It has connections via mastoid and condylar emissary veins with pericranial veins.
Quiz questions
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References
- 1. Susan Standring. Gray's Anatomy. (2020) ISBN: 9780702077050
Incoming Links
Articles:
- Internal jugular vein
- Combined conduit score of sinovenous stenosis
- Mastoid part of temporal bone
- Mastoid foramen
- Veins of the brainstem
- Marginal sinus (foramen magnum)
- Endolymphatic duct
- Vestibular schwannoma
- Condylar canal
- Jugular foramen
- Jugular bulb
- MR cerebral venography
- Cerebral venous system
- Occipital sinus
- Vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation
- Transverse sinus
- Petrosquamous fissure
- Superior petrosal sinus
- Cochlear duct
- Dural venous sinuses
Cases:
- Cerebral venous thrombosis
- Skull base hyperpneumatisation
- Solitary fibrous tumor of the dura
- Central neurocytoma
- Cerebral venous infarction
- Cerebellopontine angle meningioma
- Venous vascular territories of the medial cerebral cortex (illustration)
- Intracranial hypertension secondary to cerebral venous thrombosis
- Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT)
- Postpartum cerebral venous thrombosis with haemorrhagic venous infarcts
- Cerebral venous thrombosis in patient with focal cortical dysplasia
- Cerebral venous thrombosis
- Jugular foramen (illustration)
- Transverse sinus thrombosis
Multiple choice questions:
Related articles: Anatomy: Brain
-
brain
- grey matter
- white matter
-
cerebrum
-
cerebral hemisphere (telencephalon)
- cerebral lobes and gyri
- frontal lobe
- parietal lobe
-
occipital lobe
- occipital pole
- lingual gyrus
- fusiform gyrus (Brodmann area 37)
- calcarine (visual) cortex
- cuneus
- temporal lobe
- basal forebrain
- limbic system
- insula
-
cerebral sulci and fissures (A-Z)
- calcarine fissure
- callosal sulcus
- central (Rolandic) sulcus
- cingulate sulcus
- collateral sulcus
- inferior frontal sulcus
- inferior occipital sulcus
- inferior temporal sulcus
- interhemispheric fissure
- intraparietal sulcus
- lateral (Sylvian) sulcus
- lateral occipital sulcus
- marginal sulcus
- occipitotemporal sulcus
- olfactory sulcus
- paracentral sulcus
- paraolfactory sulcus
- parieto-occipital fissure
- posterior parolfactory sulcus
- precentral sulcus
- preoccipital notch
- postcentral sulcus
- rhinal sulcus
- rostral sulcus
- subparietal sulcus
- superior frontal sulcus
- superior occipital sulcus
- superior temporal sulcus
- cortical histology
- cerebral lobes and gyri
- white matter tracts
- deep grey matter
-
pituitary gland
- posterior pituitary and stalk (part of diencephalon)
- anterior pituitary
- inferior hypophyseal arterial circle
- diencephalon
-
cerebral hemisphere (telencephalon)
-
brainstem
- midbrain (mesencephalon)
- pons (part of metencephalon)
- medulla oblongata (myelencephalon)
- white matter
-
grey matter
- non-cranial nerve
-
cranial nerve nuclei
- oculomotor nucleus
- Edinger-Westphal nucleus
- trochlear nucleus
- motor nucleus of CN V
- mesencephalic nucleus of CN V
- main sensory nucleus of CN V
- spinal nucleus of CN V
- abducent nucleus
- facial nucleus
- superior salivatory nucleus
- cochlear nuclei
- vestibular nuclei
- inferior salivatory nucleus
- solitary tract nucleus
- ambiguus nucleus
- dorsal vagal motor nucleus
- hypoglossal nucleus
-
cerebellum (part of metencephalon)
- vermis
- cerebellar hemisphere
- cerebellar peduncles
- cranial meninges (meninx primitiva)
- CSF spaces
-
cranial nerves (mnemonic)
- olfactory nerve (CN I)
- optic nerve (CN II)
- oculomotor nerve (CN III)
- trochlear nerve (CN IV)
- trigeminal nerve (CN V) (mnemonic)
- abducens nerve (CN VI)
- facial nerve (CN VII) (segments mnemonic | branches mnemonic)
-
vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
- vestibular ganglion (Scarpa's ganglion)
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
- vagus nerve (CN X)
- spinal accessory nerve (CN XI)
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
- functional neuroanatomy
- CNS development
- cerebral vascular supply
- arteries
- vascular territories
-
circle of Willis
- internal carotid artery (ICA) (segments)
- vertebral artery
-
normal variants
- intracranial arterial fenestration
- internal carotid artery (ICA)
- anterior cerebral artery (ACA)
- middle cerebral artery (MCA)
- posterior cerebral artery (PCA)
- basilar artery
- persistent carotid-vertebrobasilar artery anastomoses (mnemonic)
- vertebral artery
- ophthalmic artery
-
cerebral venous system
-
dural venous sinuses
- basilar venous plexus
- cavernous sinus (mnemonic)
- clival diploic veins
- inferior petro-occipital vein
- inferior petrosal sinus
- inferior sagittal sinus
- intercavernous sinus
- internal carotid artery venous plexus of Rektorzik
- jugular bulb
- marginal sinus
- occipital sinus
- sigmoid sinus
- sphenoparietal sinus
- straight sinus
- superior petrosal sinus
- superior sagittal sinus
- torcula herophili
- transverse sinus
-
cerebral veins
-
superficial veins of the brain
- superior cerebral veins (superficial cerebral veins)
- inferior cerebral veins
- superficial middle cerebral vein
- superior anastomotic vein (of Trolard)
- inferior anastomotic vein (of Labbe)
-
superficial veins of the brain
-
deep veins of the brain
- great cerebral vein (of Galen)
- venous circle of Trolard
- normal variants
-
dural venous sinuses
- arteries
- glymphatic pathway
