| Vein: Vein of Galen | |
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| Velum interpositum. (Great cerebral vein labeled at bottom center.) | |
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| Dura mater and its processes exposed by removing part of the right half of the skull, and the brain. (Great cerebral vein labeled at bottom left.) | |
| Latin | vena magna cerebri |
| Gray's | subject #170 653 |
| Drains from | cerebrum |
| Source | internal cerebral veins |
| Drains to | straight sinus |
| Artery | cerebral arteries |
The great cerebral vein is one of the large blood vessels in the skull draining the cerebrum (brain). It is also known as the "vein of Galen" (VG), named for its discoverer, the Greek physician Galen. However, it is not the only vein with this eponym.
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Anatomy
The great cerebral vein of Galen is considered a deep/internal cerebral vein. The internal cerebral veins are formed by the union of the thalamostriate vein and the choroid vein at the interventricular foramen. The deep/internal group of cerebral veins can be seen on the superior surfaces of the caudate nuclei and thalami just under the corpus callosum.[1] The veins at the anterior poles of the thalami merge posterior to the pineal gland to form the great vein of Galen [1]. Most of the blood in the deep cerebral veins collects into the great cerebral vein of Galen.[2] This comes from the inferior side of the posterior end of the corpus callosum and empties into the straight sinus located in the midline of the tentorium.[2] Unlike the arteries, the cerebral veins have anastomoses.[2] With extensive anastomoses, a slow occlusion of a venous channel rarely produces more than transitory effects.[citation needed]
There are both superficial/external and deep/internal cerebral veins in the brain. The superficial veins at the dorsal parts of the hemispheres run upward and medially and empty into the large superior sagittal sinus in the upper margin of the falx cerebri. The superior sagittal sinus divides into two parts called the transverse sinuses where the falx cererbri meets the tentorium cerebelli. The sigmoid sinus, which continues the transverse sinus, empties into the jugular vein at the jugular foramen. The internal jugular vein leaves the skull and travels downward to the neck.[3]
The veins of the brain have very thin walls and contain no valves. They emerge in the brain and lie in the subarachnoid space. They pierce the arachanoid matter and the meningeal layer in the dura and drain into the cranial venous sinuses.[3]
Disorders and Diseases of the Vein of Galen
Malformations
Most conditions associated with the great cerebral vein are due to congenital defects. Vein of Galen aneurysmal malformations (VGAM) are the most common form of symptomatic cerebrovascular malformation in neonates and infants.[4] The congenital malformation develops during weeks 6-11 of fetal development as a persistent embryonic prosencephalic vein of Markowski; thus, VGAM is actually a misnomer. The vein of Markowski actually drains into the vein of Galen.
References
- ^ a b Diamond, Marian C.; Elson, Lawrence M.; Scheibel, Arnold B. (1985). "Venous Drainage of the Cerebral Hemispheres". The Human Brain Coloring Book. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780064603065.
- ^ a b c Brodal, Per (2004) [1992]. The central nervous system: structure and function (3rd (rev) ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 100–102. ISBN 9780195165609.
- ^ a b Snell, Richard S. (August 1997) [1980]. Clinical Neuroanatomy: A Review with Questions and Explanations (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 217–219. ISBN 9780316803151.
- ^ Johnston IH; Whittle IR, Besser M, Morgan MK (May 1987). "Vein of Galen malformation: diagnosis and management.". Neurosurgery 20 (5): 747-758. ISSN 0148-396X. PMID 3601022.
External links
- great+cerebral+vein+of+Galen at eMedicine Dictionary
- Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 13048.000-3
- Vein of Galen images
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