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where does the occipital sinus drain

by Sydney Reinger Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Occipital sinus. Tributaries from the margins of the foramen magnum, some of which connect with both the sigmoid sinus and internal vertebral plexus, coalesce to pass in the attached margin of the falx cerebelli to drain postero-superiorly at the confluence of the sinuses .

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Full Answer

What does occipital drain?

The occipital vein drains blood from part of the scalp.

Where is the occipital sinus?

The occipital sinus, which is the smallest dural venous sinus, runs along the inner surface of the occipital bone. The occipital sinus is attached to the posterior margin of the falx cerebelli and receives tributaries from the margins of the foramen magnum.

What drains into the straight sinus?

The straight sinus allows blood to drain from the inferior center of the head outwards posteriorly. It receives blood from the inferior sagittal sinus, great cerebral vein, posterior cerebral veins, superior cerebellar veins and veins from the falx cerebri.

How many occipital sinuses are there?

The sinuses at the base of the skull. (Occipial sinus visible at bottom center, below the Foramen Magnum on image.) It is situated in the attached margin of the falx cerebelli, and is generally single, but occasionally there are two.

What does occipital sinus do?

The most prominent function of the occipital sinus is to provide an alternative route for the venous drainage of the vertebral column when the venous return through the internal jugular vein is compromised.

Do your sinuses go to the back of your head?

Maxillary sinuses – The largest cavities, these two sit behind the cheekbones. Sphenoid sinuses – The sphenoid sinuses sit very far back in the head, near the optic nerves and pituitary gland, behind the eyes.

Can your sinuses drain backwards?

Nasal Polyps They may develop on the lining of your sinuses or nose. When mucus gets into the area where the polyp is located, it may get blocked, causing it to essentially drain backward down your throat.

What can stop sinus from draining?

TreatmentsTake a medication such as guaifenesin (Mucinex).Use saline nasal sprays or irrigation , like a neti pot, to flush mucus, bacteria, allergens, and other irritating things out of the sinuses.Turn on a vaporizer or humidifier to increase the moisture in the air.

Which sinuses drain into sigmoid sinus?

Cavernous sinuses further drain into both petrosal sinuses superiorly (into the sigmoid sinus) and inferiorly (into the internal jugular vein).

What is the largest sinus in the skull?

The largest of the paranasal sinuses is the maxillary sinus. There are two pyramidal-shaped maxillary sinuses located bilaterally in the maxilla of the face.

Can a sinus infection cause occipital neuralgia?

Isolated sphenoid sinusitis may cause disturbing headaches not only in the sphenoid sinus area. The pain may refer to occipital, frontal, tempo- ral area, or vertex, or may cause retro-orbital pain.

What parts of the head can sinuses affect?

Sinus headache occurs when the sinus passages behind your eyes, nose, cheeks, and forehead are congested. This causes pressure and pain. You might experience sinus headache on either or both sides of your head.

Where are sinuses located in head and neck?

Two large frontal sinuses are located above your eyes and in your forehead. Two sphenoid and two ethmoid sinuses are set between your eyes and behind your nose. The largest two sinuses are the maxillary sinuses, and they are positioned under your eyes and behind your cheeks.

What are the 4 sinuses in the skull?

The word “sinus” is most commonly understood to be the paranasal sinuses that are located near the nose and connect to the nasal cavity. There are four paranasal sinuses, each corresponding with the respective bone from which it takes its name: maxillary, ethmoid, sphenoid, and frontal.

How do you relieve sinus pain in the back of your head?

How do I get rid of a sinus headache?Apply a warm compress to painful areas of the face.Use a decongestant to reduce sinus swelling and allow mucus to drain.Try a saline nasal spray or drops to thin mucus.Use a vaporizer or inhale steam from a pan of boiled water. Warm, moist air may help relieve sinus congestion.

Where are the sinuses in the head and neck?

The frontal sinuses are above the eyes and nose within the forehead. The ethmoid sinuses are located within the bones behind the eyes, and they are composed of a complex system of air cells further broken down into anterior and posterior ethmoid sinuses. Tucked behind the ethmoid sinuses are the sphenoid sinuses.

Which sinus is the smallest?

Occipital sinus. The occipital sinus is one of the smallest dural venous sinuses and lies, as its name suggests, on the inner surface of the occipital bone. Tributaries from the marginal sinus of the foramen magnum, some of which connect with both the sigmoid sinus and vertebral venous plexus, coalesce to pass in the attached margin ...

Is the occipital sinus a craniotomy?

The occipital sinus is worth mentioning when reporting posterior fossa masses or conditions that will require a posterior fossa craniotomy, as the sinus may be large or, more importantly, off midline.

Where is the occipital sinus located?

The occipital sinus, the smallest of all venous sinuses, usually lies in the midline near the posterior attachment of the falx cerebelli. It starts caudally at the level of the foramen magnum where it communicates with the marginal sinus (when present) anteriorly and the vertebral venous plexus inferiorly, and ends cranially at the confluence of sinuses.92 The length of the occipital sinus ranges between 1.5 and 7 cm, and its width ranges between 1 and 19 mm near its termination, 27 and it is relatively wider in neonates. 14,93 Sometimes, the occipital sinus is quite large and may even replace one of the sigmoid sinuses. This is especially true in cases of an absent transverse sinus. In such cases, the occipital sinus functions as the main drainage canal, and the marginal sinus would also be large. 13,25,93

What is the inner wall of the occipital sinus?

The inner wall of the occipital sinus consists of a connection of fibrous bands, bridges, and septae that become denser as the sinus approaches the torcular Herophili. In cases in which multiple occipital sinus channels are present, they have been found to be close to each other and at the midline. 5 The presence of multiple sinuses does not imply a larger size or diameter.

What is the name of the sinus that drains into the sigmoid sinus?

An occipit al sinus draining into the sigmoid sinus has been termed an oblique occipital sinus. 96 This is referred to as the oblique occipital sinus. 104,105 Another variation of the occipital sinus is where it drains directly into the bulb of the left lateral sinus with no drainage into the right lateral sinus. 104,105.

What is the occipital sinus?

The occipital sinus is an important vascular structure during posterior fossa surgery. Variations in the occipital sinus, such as double or oblique occipital sinuses or the absence of the occipital sinus, are observed in rare cases [7]. View chapter Purchase book. Read full chapter.

Where are the sinuses located?

8 identified the marginal sinus in all specimens. Sinuses were found to lie between the leaves of the dura mater at the superior margin of the foramen magnum in all specimens. The maximal vertical height of the sinuses ranged from 7 to 15 mm (mean 10 mm), and in all specimens, it was located at or near the foramen magnum where the accessory nerve crossed in route to the jugular foramen. In all specimens, the sinus was noted to taper to 3–5 mm as it traveled both anteriorly and posteriorly toward the basion and opisthion. The marginal sinus communicated with the basilar venous plexus in 12 of 15 specimens (80%) and with the occipital sinus in all specimens. Of 15 specimens, 14 (93%) were found to have drainage into the veins of the hypoglossal canal. The hypoglossal nerve rootlets were noted to pierce the sinus and its tributaries in 11 of 15 specimens (73%). Venous communication to the sigmoid sinus was seen in all specimens. The vertebral artery was found to course through the marginal sinus as it pierced the posterior atlantooccipital membrane on all left sides and 13 of 15 (87%) of right sides. Caruso et al. 9 have reported that the marginal sinus had a mean diameter of 2 mm in 14 patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging.

Which sinuses are connected by the medial branch?

The medial branch connected the right sigmoid sinus to the occipital sinus and the two lateral branches connected the right transverse sinuses.

Which sinus is the smallest dural venous sinus?

Occipital Sinus. The occipital sinus, which is the smallest dural venous sinus, runs along the inner surface of the occipital bone. The occipital sinus is attached to the posterior margin of the falx cerebelli and receives tributaries from the margins of the foramen magnum. It may anastomosis with the sigmoid sinuses and posterior internal ...

What causes constant sinus drainage?

Before we get into where sinus drainage goes, let’s review why humans have sinus drainage in the first place. Our body produces a sticky, viscous substance called mucus to lubricate the sinuses and to keep outside germs and irritants from finding their way into your sinuses and respiratory system. Mucus plays such an important role in maintaining your health that your body produces up to 1.5 liters of the stuff a day!

How does mucus exit the body?

As you can see from the diagram above, mucus has two main “exit avenues” from the body: it can either be expelled through your nose, or it can become mixed with your saliva and drain down the back of your throat into your stomach, after which it exits your body by the same means as anything else that goes through your stomach. Both methods are normal, healthy, and occur unnoticed.

How long does balloon sinuplasty last?

Balloon sinuplasty is a minimally-invasive, in-office procedure that can provide long-lasting relief from chronic sinus issues in less than 20 minutes. Kaplan Sinus Relief’s Dr. Michael Kaplan is a pioneer of the procedure and has used the technique helped thousands of Houstonians breathe freely again.

How to contact Kaplan Sinus Relief?

Ready to see what life is like *post* post-nasal drip? Call Kaplan Sinus Relief at 713-766-1818 or contact us online to request an appointment today.

What to use to flush out mucus?

Use a Neti pot (with distilled or boiled water only) to flush out excess mucus

Can medication help with post nasal drip?

Medication can help provide short-term relief from post-nasal drip symptoms . Used incorrectly, however, they can actually make issues like post-nasal drip worse. There’s a chance that your nose’s anatomy is contributing to your chronic post-nasal drip and/or sinus infections.

Is it normal for sinuses to produce mucus?

It is natural and healthy for your sinuses to produce mucus — but at the end of the day, where does mucus go? Is sinus drainage normal? And if so, why does it sometimes make us sick? Here, we answer the question, “Where does sinus drainage go?” and share potential remedies for excessive sinus drainage / post-nasal drip.

What is the hair that moves mucus through the sinuses?

Little hairs called cilia help the mucus move through the sinus cavities. The mucus from the sinuses drains into your nasal passages and then down the back of your throat to be swallowed.

Where are the ethmoid sinuses?

There are three small pairs of the ethmoid sinuses. The sphenoid sinuses are behind the eyes, deeper into your skull. These sinuses collectively are called the paranasal sinuses. The name sinus comes from the Latin word sinus, which means a bay, a curve, or a hollow cavity.

What is the name of the hair that helps the mucus to move through the nasal cavity?

Both air and mucus flow through your sinuses and drain into your nose, through tiny openings called ostia (or singular, ostium). Little hairs called cilia help the mucus move through the sinus cavities.

What happens if you have a cold and a sinus infection?

People often develop sinusitis after they have a common cold. If the lining of your sinuses becomes blocked in a cold, the mucus gets thick and sticky.

What is the function of the sinuses?

The sinuses are part of your nose and respiratory system. They connect to your nasal passages in a complex network of air flow and drainage passages. As you breathe in air through your nose and mouth, it moves through the sinus passages.

How do you know if you have sinusitis?

Symptoms of a sinus infection are similar to those of a cold: Depending on which sinuses are infected, you may feel pain or pressure in your forehead, cheeks, ears, or teeth. You may have thick, sticky mucus coming from your nose. Your mucus may be cloudy, or have a greenish-yellow color.

How long does a sinus infection last?

A sinus infection can last from 10 days to as long as 8 weeks. This is called an acute sinus infection. Sometimes a sinus infection can become chronic, getting better and then worse again, off and on for months. Chronic sinusitis is medically defined as sinusitis that occurs more than four times a year.

Which sinuses receive tributaries from the superior and inferior ophthalmic veins?

In addition to receiving tributaries from the sphenoparietal sinus, the cavernous sinus also receives tributaries from the superior and inferior ophthalmic veins, and efferent hypophyseal veins. This pair of sinuses, also called the parasellar sinuses, is located on either side of the sella turcica of the sphenoid bone.

Where does the brain drain?

The venous drainage of the brain does not follow the arteries of the brain. Instead, they drain to the dural sinuses, which subsequently drain to the internal jugular vein. Generally, the walls of these drainage pathways are formed by visceral periosteum and dural reflection, both lined with endothelium. The inferior sagittal and straight sinuses ...

What is the sigmoid sinus?

Sigmoid sinus. Finally, the sigmoid sinuses are a paired, bilateral, s-shaped set of sinuses that course along the floor of the posterior cranial fossa. They are the terminal parts of the dural venous sinuses that continue from the transverse sinuses at the level of the tentorium cerebelli.

Where do the transverse sinuses travel?

Transverse sinuses. The left and right transverse sinuses travel in the base of the tentorium cerebelli, along the occipital bone. It communicates with the straight sinus, superior sagittal sinus and the occipital sinus at a point called the confluence of sinuses; at the level of the internal occipital protuberance.

Which part of the internal carotid artery is the only one of the paired dural sinuses?

cavernous part of the internal carotid artery. The cavernous sinus is the only one of the paired dural sinuses that communicates with each other. These sinuses have two intercavernous branches arching over the diaphragma sellae of the pituitary gland; one anterior and the other posterior to the infundibulum.

Where are the superior petrosal sinuses?

Two superior petrosal sinuses (one on either side) run along the petrous part of the temporal bone in the base of the tentorium cerebelli. It crosses over the trunk of the trigeminal nerve before it enters Meckel’s cave.

Which sinus is more superficial?

There are two sagittal sinuses that occupy the longitudinal cerebral fissure (midline between the cerebral hemispheres ). The superior sagittal sinus is the more superficial of the two sinuses.

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1.Occipital sinus: Anatomy, location, function | Kenhub

Url:https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/occipital-sinus

32 hours ago 3 rows ·  · The occipital sinus drains the blood from the marginal sinus, which is a venous vessel situated ...

2.Occipital sinus | Radiology Reference Article

Url:https://radiopaedia.org/articles/occipital-sinus

12 hours ago An occipital sinus draining into the sigmoid sinus has been termed an oblique occipital sinus. 96 This is referred to as the oblique occipital sinus. 104,105 Another variation of the occipital …

3.Occipital Sinus - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

Url:https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/occipital-sinus

36 hours ago  · When you’re sick (with a cold, allergies, or a sinus infection, for example) your body responds by producing excess mucus. This overproduction can lead post-nasal drip — a …

4.Where Does Sinus Drainage Go? | Kaplan Sinus Relief

Url:https://www.kaplansinusrelief.com/blog/where-does-sinus-drainage-go/

23 hours ago The occipital sinus is the smallest of all dural venous sinuses. It lies in the base of the falx cerebelli on the inner side of the occipital bone. The occipital sinus drains the blood from the …

5.Sinus Cavities in the Head: Anatomy, Diagram & Pictures

Url:https://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/sinus-cavities

35 hours ago The occipital sinus is attached to the posterior margin of the falx cerebelli and receives tributaries from the margins of the foramen magnum. Where does the straight sinus drain? The straight …

6.Dural venous sinuses: Anatomy | Kenhub

Url:https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/dural-sinuses

4 hours ago  · The occipital sinus is attached to the posterior margin of the falx cerebelli and receives tributaries from the margins of the foramen magnum. What are dural venous sinuses? …

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