Quick Facts
Origin: Commences near foramen magnum in the form of several small venous channels/plexuses.
Course: Runs along the attached margin of falx cerebellum, extending from foramen magnum (caudally) to confluence of sinuses (cranially).
Tributaries: Veins of the hypoglossal canal, basilar plexus, occipital emissary, and diploic veins.
Drainage: Drains into the confluence of sinuses.
Origin
The occipital sinus is the smallest of the dural venous sinuses. It lies in the posterior cranial fossa and is usually unpaired. It commences near the foramen magnum in the form of several small channels.
Course
The occipital runs cranially and posteriorly along the attached margin of the falx cerebellum and ends at the confluence of the sinuses.
Occasionally, instead of running in the midline, the occipital sinus deviates to one side to join the sigmoid sinus as it passes through the jugular foramen (Tubbs, Shoja and Loukas, 2008; Tubbs et al., 2011). Such a deviated sinus has been termed as the oblique occipital sinus.
Tributaries
Anteriorly, the occipital sinus connects with the sigmoid sinus and the internal vertebral plexus of veins. Tributaries of the sinus may include veins of the hypoglossal canal, basilar plexus, occipital emissary, and diploic veins.
Structures Drained
The occipital sinus drains the venous blood into the confluence of sinuses. From there onwards, the blood drains into the transverse sinuses.
References
Tubbs, R. S., Bosmia, A. N., Shoja, M. M., Loukas, M., Cure, J. K. and Cohen-Gadol, A. A. (2011) 'The oblique occipital sinus: a review of anatomy and imaging characteristics', Surg Radiol Anat, 33(9), pp. 747-9.
Tubbs, R. S., Shoja, M. M. and Loukas, M. (2008) 'An unusual finding of the posterior cranial fossa: one case report', Ital J Anat Embryol, 113(2), pp. 83-6.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Occipital Sinus
The occipital sinus is attached to the posterior margin of the falx cerebelli and receives tributaries from the margins of the foramen magnum.
