Straight sinus

Vein: Straight sinus
Dural veins (Straight sinus labeled as 'SIN. RECTUS' at center right.)
Dura mater and its processes exposed by removing part of the right half of the skull, and the brain. (Straight sinus visible as blue line at center left.)
Latin	sinus rectus
Gray's	subject #171 655
Source	inferior sagittal sinus, great cerebral vein
Drains to	confluence of sinuses
MeSH	Cranial+Sinuses

The straight sinus (also known as tentorial sinus), within the human head, is an unpaired area beneath the brain which allows blood to drain from the inferior center of the head outwards posteriorly. It drains blood from the superior cerebellar veins and inferior sagittal sinus (at the center of the brain) to the confluence of sinuses (at the back of the head by the internal occipital protuberance). See diagram (at right): labeled in the brain as "SIN. RECTUS" (for Latin: sinus rectus).

The straight sinus (tentorial sinus) is situated where the falx cerebri meets the midline of tentorium cerebelli.

It forms from the confluence of the inferior sagittal sinus and great cerebral vein (great vein of Galen). In cross-section it is triangular, contains a few transverse bands across its interior, and increases in size as it proceeds backward.

Additional images

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  Tentorium cerebelli from above.

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  Human brain dura mater (reflections)

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  Straight sinus

See also

• Dural venous sinuses

References

• This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.

External links

• Straight+sinus at eMedicine Dictionary