The occipitotemporal vein: a cadaver, MRI and CT study

Abstract

The author studied a superficial temporal vein running anteroposteriorly within the occipitotemporal sulcus, the “occipitotemporal vein”, which, when prominent, could be thought to simulate a “venous angioma” on MRI. A cadaver (n=50), MRI (n=200), and CT (n=50) study was undertaken to examine the incidence, detectibility, size, location, and drainage of the occipitotemporal vein. It was an approximately 3 mm wide, 2–5 cm long structure. It was present in 83% of the cadavers (52% bilaterally), and clearly identifiable on 73% of the MRI (43% bilaterally), and 8% of the CT studies. In 18% of the cadavers the vein was totally absent, and it was not seen in 27% of the MRI examinations. The occipitotemporal vein can be distinguished from a venous angioma by its particular location and course, and by lack of intraluminal bright signal on spin-echo T2-weighted and/or contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. In addition, venous angiomas are usually intraparenchymal, whereas the occipitotemporal vein is a superficial vessel.