Inferior sagittal sinus

Author: Jana Vasković MD • Reviewer: Adrian Rad BSc (Hons)
Last reviewed: February 22, 2022
Reading time: 2 minutes

The inferior sagittal sinus is a dural venous sinus found within the inferior, free margin of the falx cerebri. 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
Sources

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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:

Sources

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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 (41tst 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: