Anatomical relationships of the cerebral and dural venous systems in the parasagittal area.

Abstract

AbstractThe cerebral and dural venous systems are derived from separate layers of the vascular plexus that cover the brain in early embryonic life. The cerebral veins arise from the inner layer of the plexus which invests the neural tube and join the dural systems in the superior midline concomitant with the development of the sinuses. The dural veins, the lateral lacunae and the dural sinuses arise from the outer embryonic plexus. In the fully developed human these two systems are separate except for an occasional communication between a lateral lacuna and a superior cerebral vein just before the vein joins the superior sagittal sinus. The lateral lacunae are a distinct anatomical entity and their venous meshwork is to be regarded as a part of the dural venous system.