[Radiological anatomy of the vein of Labbé]

The development and radiology of the vein of Labbé (VL) were investigated using the brains of 19 aborted human fetuses and 6 normal adults injected at autopsy with radiopaque material through the venous system. Carotid angiograms taken in stereoscopic pairs (110 cases, 167 hemispheres) were also analyzed in detail. Developmental alterations of the cerebral structures, particularly those of the opercula and cerebral sulci, are reflected in our classification of the pial veins of the lateral cerebral convexity into the superior, middle and inferior groups. The anastomotic veins of Trolard and Labbé were already recognizable at the fetal age of 6 to 7 months, as development of the opercula and resultant depression of the insula became advanced. In our series, superficial draining veins opening into the VL were 14 to 20 mm (average 16.8 mm) in length. Anastomoses among the superior, middle and inferior groups were analyzed angiographically: single anastomosis was found in 23 percent of cases, while double and triple anastomoses were found in 32 and 45 percent, respectively. A majority of the veins at the sites of anastomosis were found to have calibers of less than 1 mm. The VL, therefore, should be considered in most cases as an independent major superficial draining venous channel of the cerebral convexity with insignificant connections with the superior and middle groups.