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Bridging veins and autopsy findings in abusive head trauma

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Abstract

Bridging veins are crucial for the venous drainage of the brain. They run as short and straight bridges between the brain surface and the superior sagittal sinus in the subdural compartment. Subdural bleeding is a marker for a traumatic mechanism (i.e., acceleration/deceleration, rotational and shearing forces due to violent shaking) causing rupture of the bridging veins. Demonstration of bridging vein rupture allows the unequivocal diagnosis of a traumatic mechanism and should therefore be a routine part of the postmortem in cases of subdural hemorrhage.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Professor Catherine Adamsbaum for her invaluable advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service D’anatomie-Pathologique et Médecine Légale, AP-HP, CHU Raymond Poincaré, 104, boulevard Raymond Poincaré, 92380, Garches, France

    Caroline Rambaud

  2. Université Versailles-Saint Quentin en Yvelines, 78000, Versailles, France

    Caroline Rambaud

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  1. Caroline Rambaud
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Correspondence to Caroline Rambaud.

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Rambaud, C. Bridging veins and autopsy findings in abusive head trauma. Pediatr Radiol 45, 1126–1131 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-015-3285-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-015-3285-0

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