Quick Facts
Origin: Anterior skull.
Course: Run through the diploic channels between the outer and inner tables of the frontal cortical bone.
Tributaries: None.
Drainage: Frontal bone.
Origin
The frontal diploic veins are situated in the frontal bone of the skull, in an area topographically delimited by the bregma, glabella, and pterion.
Course
Diploic channels are situated in the diploe or the spongy layer, between the outer and inner tables of the cortical bones. The frontal diploic veins represent a network of valveless intraosseous veins which run through the diploic channels in the frontal bone of the skull. They drain into the supraorbital vein and/or the superior sagittal sinus (Garcia-Gonzalez et al., 2009).
Tributaries
Frontal diploic veins on either side receive small unnamed tributaries near their origin that run along the superolateral aspect of the frontal sinus.
Structures Drained
The frontal diploic veins drain the frontal bone of the skull.
References
Garcia-Gonzalez, U., Cavalcanti, D. D., Agrawal, A., Gonzalez, L. F., Wallace, R. C., Spetzler, R. F. and Preul, M. C. (2009) 'The diploic venous system: surgical anatomy and neurosurgical implications', Neurosurg Focus, 27(5), pp. E2.
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