Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026
Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
The sphenoparietal sinus
R Shane Tubbs1, E George Salter, John C Wellons
1Department of Cell Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35233, USA. rstubbs@uab.edu
Objective:
There is minimal detailed information regarding the sphenoparietal venous sinus found in the extant medical literature. Furthermore, there is controversy in the literature regarding drainage of the Sylvian vein into this sinus. The sphenoparietal sinus can potentially be encountered with cranial base approaches near the lesser wing of the sphenoid bone and may be found as one surgically traverses the superior orbital fissure.
Methods:
To further elucidate the anatomy of this structure, we injected this intracranial venous sinus with blue latex in 15 adult cadavers (30 sides) via cannulation of the cavernous sinus near the posterior part of the oculomotor trigone. Observations and measurements of this and nearby structures were then made.
Results:
A left and right sphenoparietal sinus were found in all specimens and had a mean diameter of 2.5 mm for left sides and 3 mm for right sides. No statistical difference was noted between sides or sexes (P > 0.05). This structure generally began at the lateral tip of the lesser wing of the sphenoid bone and ended in the cavernous sinus near the passage of the ophthalmic nerve. In seven left sides and eight right sides, no discernible connection with the middle meningeal veins was noted. This sinus was found to have a connection with the Sylvian vein in all but one side. One sinus did not drain into the cavernous sinus but rather into the veins of the foramen rotundum. Ten specimens were noted to have previously undocumented temporal veins from the anterior temporal tip that drained into the sphenoparietal sinus.
Conclusion:
We think that these data will aid the clinician in the diagnosis of the pathology of this region and decrease morbidity that may follow manipulation of this venous sinus.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Cranial Bones: Lateral View
The temporal bone forms the lower lateral side of the skull. The temporal bone is subdivided into several regions. The flattened upper portion is the squamous portion of the temporal bone. Below this area and projecting anteriorly is the zygomatic process of the temporal bone, which forms the posterior portion of the zygomatic arch. Posteriorly is the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. Projecting...
01:24Nose and Nasal Cavity
01:14Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View
The frontal bone is the single bone that forms the forehead. At its anterior midline, between the eyebrows, there is a slight depression called the glabella. The frontal bone also forms the supraorbital margin of the orbit. Near the middle of this margin is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead. The frontal bone is thickened just above each supraorbital margin,...
01:29Anatomy of Respiratory System I: Upper Respiratory Tract
Nose and nasal cavity
The nose and nasal cavity represent the main external openings of the respiratory tract.
01:08Overview of the Skull
The cranial vault surrounds and protects the brain and houses the middle and inner ear structures. This cavity is bounded superiorly by the rounded top of the skull, which...
01:22Sutures of the Skull
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...