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The oblique occipital sinus: anatomical study using bone subtraction 3D CT venography

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Abstract

Background and purpose

An occipital sinus draining into the sigmoid sinus has been termed the oblique occipital sinus (OOS). The frequency, anatomical features, patterns, and relationship with the transverse sinus of the oblique occipital sinus were analyzed in this study.

Materials and methods

The study included 1805 patients who underwent brain CT angiography during a 3-year period from 2013 to 2015. CT examinations were performed using a 64-slice MDCT system.

Results

The OOS was identified in 41 patients (2.3%). There were many anatomical variations in the oblique occipital sinuses. A hypoplastic or aplastic TS was seen in 31 (75.6%) of the 41 patients with OOS.

Conclusion

Many anatomical variations in the oblique occipital sinus can be seen on CT venography. Some OOSs function as the main drainage route of the intracranial veins instead of the TS. Thus, careful examination is essential for preoperative evaluation in posterior fossa lesions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, 79, Gangnam-ro, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, 52727, South Korea

    Hwa Seon Shin, Dae Seob Choi, Ho Cheol Choi, Hye Young Choi, Mi Jung Park, Ji Eun Kim & SungEun Park

  2. Department of Radiology, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon-si, South Korea

    Hye Jin Baek

  3. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon-si, South Korea

    Jeong Yeol Han

Authors
  1. Hwa Seon Shin
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  2. Dae Seob Choi
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  3. Hye Jin Baek
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  4. Ho Cheol Choi
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  5. Hye Young Choi
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  6. Mi Jung Park
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  7. Ji Eun Kim
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  9. SungEun Park
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dae Seob Choi.

Ethics declarations

We declare that all human and animal studies have been approved by the Gyeongsang National University Hospital Institutional Review Board and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. We declare that all patients gave informed consent prior to inclusion in this study. None of the authors have any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence the work.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Shin, H.S., Choi, D.S., Baek, H.J. et al. The oblique occipital sinus: anatomical study using bone subtraction 3D CT venography. Surg Radiol Anat 39, 619–628 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-016-1767-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-016-1767-x

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