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Bridging veins of the cerebellum: a magnetic resonance imaging study

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Abstract

Purpose

To date, no study has yet explored the bridging veins (BVs) of the cerebellum using neuroimaging modalities. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize them using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods

A total of 90 patients with intact cerebellar hemispheres and intracranial dural sinuses underwent thin-sliced, contrast-enhanced MRI.

Results

The BVs were classified into six routes based on the draining pattern into the dural sinuses. The superior vermian vein emptying into the straight sinus was delineated in 100% of the patients. The inferior vermian vein emptying into the confluence of the sinuses was identified in 66.7% of the patients. The inferior hemispheric and cerebellar cortical veins emptying into the transverse sinus were identified in 54.4% and 26.7% of the patients, respectively. The inferior vermian and cerebellar cortical veins emptying into the straight sinus were identified in 77.8% and 12.2% of the patients, respectively. The cerebellar cortical vein emptying into the tentorial sinus was identified in 83.3% of the patients; it was delineated on 54 sides with an average number per right hemisphere of 1.9 and 63 sides with an average number per left hemisphere of 2. The pontine-trigeminal and anterior hemispheric veins emptying into the superior petrosal sinus were identified in 42.2% of the patients.

Conclusions

The BVs of the cerebellum can be classified into six distinct routes. Radiological classification may be useful for understanding the drainage pattern of the cerebellum.

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Funding

No funding was received for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurological Surgery, Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital, 2-1-1 Tomioka, Urayasu, Chiba, 279-0021, Japan

    Satoshi Tsutsumi & Hisato Ishii

  2. Division of Radiological Technology, Medical Satellite Yaesu Clinic, Tokyo, Japan

    Hideo Ono

Authors
  1. Satoshi Tsutsumi
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  2. Hideo Ono
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  3. Hisato Ishii
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Contributions

ST: conceived the study; HO: collected the imaging data; ST and HI: analyzed the imaging data; ST: wrote the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Satoshi Tsutsumi.

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Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare regarding the materials or methods used in this study or the findings presented in this paper.

Ethical approval

All the procedures performed in the study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.

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Tsutsumi, S., Ono, H. & Ishii, H. Bridging veins of the cerebellum: a magnetic resonance imaging study. Surg Radiol Anat 43, 437–444 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-020-02664-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-020-02664-8

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