Inferior sagittal sinus

Author: Jana Vasković, MD • Reviewer: Adrian Rad, BSc (Hons)
Last reviewed: November 03, 2023
Reading time: 2 minutes

Inferior sagittal sinus (Sinus sagittalis inferior)

The inferior sagittal sinus is a dural venous sinus found within the inferior, free margin of the falx cerebri (a fold of dura mater). This sinus collects the blood from the falx and often from the medial surfaces of the brain hemispheres.

The inferior sagittal sinus ends at the intersection of the falx cerebri and tentorium cerebelli. Here, it joins the great cerebral vein (of Galen) to form the straight sinus.

This article will discuss the anatomy and function of the inferior sagittal sinus.

Key facts about the inferior sagittal sinus
Tributaries	Veins of falx cerebri, anterior pericallosal vein
Drains to	Straight sinus
Drainage area	Falx cerebri, medial surfaces of cerebral hemispheres

Contents

Anatomy and course
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Anatomy and course

The inferior sagittal sinus runs through the doubled folded margin of the falx cerebri, occupying the posterior two-thirds of the falx. It extends as far as the tentorium cerebelli, where it opens into the straight sinus.

The inferior sagittal sinus increases in size as it courses posteriorly towards the falx. It receives two groups of tributaries:

Small veins that drain the falx
Anterior pericallosal veins that drain the medial surfaces of the cerebral hemispheres.

Master the anatomy of the dural venous sinuses using the videos, articles, illustrations and quizzes in the following study units:

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All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.

References:

Blumenfeld, H. (2018) Neuroanatomy through Clinical Cases. 2nd ed., Sinauer.
Mancall, Elliott L., et al. (2011) Gray's Clinical Neuroanatomy: the Anatomic Basis for Clinical Neuroscience. Elsevier Saunders.
Moore, K. L., Dalley, A. F., & Agur, A. M. R. (2014). Clinically Oriented Anatomy (7th ed.).
Netter, F. (2019). Atlas of Human Anatomy (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Saunders.
Standring, S. (2016). Gray's Anatomy (41st ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.
Tubbs, R. S., Shoja, M. M., Loukas, M., & Bergman, R. A. (2016). Bergman’s comprehensive encyclopedia of human anatomic variation. Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell.

Illustrations:

Inferior sagittal sinus (Sinus sagittalis inferior) - Paul Kim

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Inferior sagittal sinus

Anatomy and course

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