Superior sagittal sinus
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Elfeky M, Neto A, Hacking C, et al. Superior sagittal sinus. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 14 Jan 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-5041
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rID:
5041
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Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Frank Gaillard had no recorded disclosures.
View Frank Gaillard's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Mostafa Elfeky had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Mostafa Elfeky's current disclosures
Revisions:
14 times, by
11 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
Synonyms:
- SSS
The superior sagittal sinus (SSS) is the largest dural venous sinus. As the name suggests, it runs in a sagittal plane in the superior aspect of the falx cerebri. It extends from the foramen cecum anteriorly to its termination at the confluence of sinuses at the internal occipital protuberance posteriorly, where it usually proceeds rightward and into the right transverse sinus. It receives venous blood from many and varied veins of the superficial cortical veins of the cerebral hemispheres.
Variant anatomy
Anatomic variations of the superior sagittal sinus are frequent. This includes:
- variations in the anterior (rostral) superior sagittal sinus (most frequent)
- hypoplasia of the middle part of the superior sagittal sinus
Four types of variations of the anterior (rostral) superior sagittal sinus may be identified: 3
- classic anatomy with a fully developed rostral superior sagittal sinus
- duplication of the rostral superior sagittal sinus
- unilateral hypoplastic rostral superior sagittal sinus
- complete or bilateral hypoplastic rostral superior sagittal sinus: in those cases of complete hypoplastic rostral superior sagittal sinus, the absent portion is replaced by a pair of large parasagittal superior frontal cortical veins that run dorsally to join the origin of the superior sagittal sinus close to the coronal suture
Quiz questions
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References
- 1. Drake RL, Vogl AW, Mitchell AWM et-al. Gray's Atlas of Anatomy. Churchill Livingstone. (2008) ISBN:044306721X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Jr. HRJJ, Burns T, Aminoff MJ et-al. The Netter Collection of Medical Illustrations: Nervous System, Volume 7, Part 1 - Brain. Elsevier Health Sciences. (2013) ISBN:1455733873. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. D. San Millán Ruíz, J.H.D. Fasel, P. Gailloud. Unilateral Hypoplasia of the Rostral End of the Superior Sagittal Sinus. (2012) American Journal of Neuroradiology. 33 (2): 286. doi:10.3174/ajnr.A2748 - Pubmed
Incoming Links
Articles:
- Central nervous system curriculum
- Parietal foramen
- Atretic parietal cephalocele
- Hyperdense vessel sign
- Confluence of sinuses
- Benign enlargement of the subarachnoid space in infancy
- Parietal bone
- Venous lacunae (skull)
- Arachnoid granulation
- Cerebral venous system
- Superior cerebral veins
- Medical abbreviations and acronyms (S)
- Inferior sagittal sinus
- Dural venous sinuses
- Dural arteriovenous fistula
- Normal intracranial calcifications
- Cashew nut sign
- Occipital bone
- Superficial middle cerebral vein
- Empty delta sign (dural venous sinus thrombosis)
Cases:
- Sagittal sinus atypical meningioma with brain invasion
- Hypoplastic rostral superior sagittal sinus
- Hypoplastic rostral superior sagittal sinus
- Pachymeningeal and skull metastasis
- Venous infarct due to superior sagittal sinus and superior cortical vein thrombosis
- Complications of otitis media
- Superior sagittal sinus thrombosis with persistent falcine sinus
- Intracranial hypotension
- Fat deposition in the superior sagittal sinus
- Superior sagittal sinus thrombosis with subarachnoid and intraparencyhmal haemorrhage
- Bilateral cerebellar infarction
- Falx meningioma invading the superior sagittal sinus
- Superior sagittal sinus thrombosis
- Cerebral venous thrombosis - haemorrhagic venous infarction
- Extradural spinal CSF leak
- Venous vascular territories of the medial cerebral cortex (illustration)
- Venous vascular territories of the lateral cerebral cortex (illustration)
- Intracranial hypertension secondary to cerebral venous thrombosis
- Superior sagittal and right transverse sinuses thrombosis
- Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT)
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
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