Quick Facts
Origin: Formed by the union of the sinus of the lesser sphenoid wing and the parietal portion of the frontal ramus of the middle meningeal vein.
Course: Runs underneath the posterior edge of the lesser wing of sphenoid bone.
Tributaries: Receives small veins from adjacent dura mater, middle meningeal vein, superficial middle cerebral vein, veins from the temporal lobe, and the anterior temporal diploic vein. Communicates with the transverse sinus.
Drainage: Drains into cavernous sinus.
Origin
The sphenoparietal sinus has been considered as a combination of two independent meningeal vessels, namely the sinus of the lesser wing of the sphenoid bone and the parietal portion of the frontal ramus of the middle meningeal vein (Standring, 2016).
Course
The sphenoparietal sinus is a dural venous channel which runs under the lesser wing of the sphenoid bone, close to its posterior edge.
Tributaries
Medially, the sphenoparietal sinus opens into the front part of the cavernous sinus. Here it receives small veins from the adjacent dura mater and the frontal ramus of the middle meningeal vein. Midway along its course, the sphenoparietal sinus receives tributaries from the superficial middle cerebral vein, veins from the temporal lobe, and the anterior temporal diploic vein. Laterally and posteriorly, the sphenoparietal sinus may communicate with the transverse sinus (Tubbs et al., 2007).
Structures Drained
The sphenoparietal sinus drains into the cavernous sinus medially, while it could extend laterally to communicate with the transverse sinus.
List of Clinical Correlates
- Dural arteriovenous fistulas
References
Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41st edition ed.: Elsevier Limited.
Tubbs, R. S., Salter, E. G., Wellons, J. C., III, Blount, J. P. and Oakes, W. J. (2007) 'The Sphenoparietal Sinus', Operative Neurosurgery, 60, pp. 9-12.
