Summary
The microsurgical anatomy of the cavernous sinus of 54 Turkish adult cadaveric heads (108 specimens) was examined to provide data for major topographic aspects and morphometry of the region, which is of special clinical importance for neurosurgeons. Significant findings were: 1) the abducent nerve in the cavernous sinus was observed as one rootlet in most of the specimens (78%), two rootlets in 14%, three in 5% and four in 3% of the specimens; 2) the anterior inferior venous space was dominant in 58%, the posterior superior venous space in 16%, and an intermediate type in 29% of the specimens; 3) the artery of the inferior cavernous sinus originated from the internal carotid artery (ICA) in 74% of the cases, and 4) the dorsal meningeal artery originated from the ICA in 6 (5.5%) of the specimens.
Résumé
L'anatomie microchirurgicale du sinus caverneux a été étudiée sur les têtes de 54 sujets turcs adultes (108 pièces). Cette étude fournit des renseignements sur les principaux aspects topographiques et morphométriques de cette région, dont l'importance clinique est grande pour les neurochirurgiens. Les résultats les plus importants sont : 1) dans le sinus caverneux, le nerf abducens prend l'aspect d'un filet nerveux unique dans la plupart des pièces (78 %) ; il peut être constitué de deux filets (14 %), trois filets (5 %) ou quatre filets (3 %) ; 2) dans 58 % des cas, l'espace veineux antéro-inférieur est dominant, dans 16 % c'est l'espace veineux postéro-supérieur et dans 29 % c'est le type intermédiaire ; 3) dans 74 % des cas, l'artère inférieure du sinus caverneux était issue de l'artère carotide interne (ACI) ; 4) l'artère méningée dorsale naissait de l'ACI dans 6 de nos pièces (5,5 %).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bedford MA (1966) The cavernous sinus. Br J Ophthalmol 50: 41–46
Destrieux C, Velut S, Kakou MK, Lefrancq T, Arbeille B, Santini JJ (1997) A new concept in Dorello's canal microanatomy: the petroclival venous conflucence. J Neurosurg 87: 67–72
Dolenc V (1983) Direct microsurgical repair of intracavernous vascular lesions. J Neurosurg 58: 824–831
Dolenc VV (1989) Anatomy and surgery of the cavernous sinus. Springer, Vienna, New York
Glasscock ME III (1969) Exposure of the intrapetrous portion of the internal carotid artery. In: Hamburger CA, Wersall J (eds). Disorders of the skull base region: proceedings of the Tenth Nobel Symposium, Almquist and Wiksel, Stockholm pp. 135–143
Gray H (1995) Gray's Anatomy, 38th edn, Williams PL (Ed), Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, p 1585
Harris FS, Rhoton AL Jr (1976) Anatomy of the cavernous sinus: a microsurgical study. J Neurosurg 45: 169–180
Inoue T, Rhoton AL Jr, Theele D, Barry M (1990) Surgical approaches to the cavernous sinus: a microsurgical study. Neurosurgery 26: 903–932
Kawase T, Toya S, Shiobara R, Mine T (1985) Transpetrosal approach for aneurysms of the lower basilar artery. J Neurosurg 63: 857–861
Kawase T, van Loveren H, Keller JT, Tew JM (1996) Meningeal architecture of the cavernous sinus: clinical and surgical implications. Neurosurgery 39: 527–536
Kehrli P, Maillot C, Wolff MJ (1995) Sheaths of cranial nerves in the lateral wall of the cavernous sinus. An embryological and anatomic study. Neurochirurgie 41: 403–412
Kehrli P, Maillot C, Wolff MJ (1996) The venous system of the lateral sellar compartment (cavernous sinus: a histological and embryological study). Neurol Res 18: 387–393
Kehrli P, Maillot C, Wolff MJ (1997) Anatomy and embryology of the trigeminal nerve and its branches in the parasellar area. Neurol Res 19: 57–65
Lang J and Reiter W (1986) Praktisch-Arztliche Befunde zum N. trochlearis. J Hirnforsch 27: 101–110
Miyazaki Y, Yamamoto I, Shinozuka S, Sato O (1994) Microsurgical anatomy of the cavernous sinus. Neurol Med Chir 34: 150–163
Moore KL (1992) Clinically oriented anatomy, 3rd edn, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, pp 692, 719
Naglovskii I, Kashka M (1983) Various aspects of the anatomy of the cavernous sinus. Zh Vopr Neirokhir 6: 25–29
Parkinson D (1965) A surgical approach to the cavernous portion of the carotid artery: anatomic studies and case report. J Neurosurg 23: 474–483
Parkinson D (1973) Carotid cavernous fistula: a direct repair with preservation of the carotid artery. Technical note. J Neurosurg 38: 99–106
Renn WH, Rhoton AL Jr (1975) Microsurgical anatomy of the sellar region. J Neurosurg 43: 288–298
Rhoton AL Jr, Hardy DG, Chambers SM (1979) Microsurgical anatomy and dissection of the sphenoid bone, cavernous sinus and sellar region. Surg Neurol 12: 63–104
Seoane E, Rhoton AL Jr, Oliveira E (1998) Microsurgical anatomy of the dural collar (carotid collar) and rings around the clinoid segment of the internal carotid artery. Neurosurgery 42: 869–886
Sekhar LN, Burgess J, Akin O (1987) Anatomic study of the cavernous sinus emphasizing operative approaches and related vascular and neural reconstruction. Neurosurgery 21: 806–816
Sekhar LN, Sen CN (1990) Comments In: Inoue T, Rhoton AL Jr, theele D, Barry M (1990) Surgical approaches to the cavernous sinus: a microsurgical study. Neurosurgery 26: 903–932
Tran-Dinh H (1987) Cavernous branches of the internal carotid artery: anatomy and nomenclature. Neurosurgery 20: 205–210
Umansky F, Nathan H (1982) The lateral wall of the cavernous sinus with special reference to the nerves related to it. J Neurosurg 56: 228–234
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kayalioglu, G., Govsa, F., Erturk, M. et al. The cavernous sinus: topographic morphometry of its contents. Surg Radiol Anat 21 (Suppl 4), 255–260 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01631396
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01631396