Observation on the Deep Supratentorial Veins.

Hwang, Sung Nam; Choi, Kil Soo

Original Article

Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society 1977;6(2): 363-370.

Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.

ABSTRACT

Deep supratentorial veins are highly valuable in the diagnosis of hydrocephalus as well as deep seated telencephalic or diencephalic lesions. It is well known that the ends of the subependymal veins reach the wall of the frontal horn and the roof of the body of the lateral ventricle and when ventricles dilate, they are stretched and elongated in proportion to the degree of dilatation. Among the subependymal veins septal veins are most frequently visualized, so we can easily measure its length in lateral carotid phlebograms. The author calculated the ratio between the length of the septal vein and the distance from the frontal bone to the venous angle in 50 epileptic patients as normal control and in 29 patients with hydrocephalus to know how far the frontal horn reaches. The author also calculated the ratio between the height of the internal cerebral vein and the distance from the Twining's line to the vertex. The results were as follows ; 1) Internal cerebral veins were visualized in all patients and septal veins in 92.6% in epileptic patients and 76.3% in patients with hydrocephalus. 2) In epilepsy the ratio between the length of the septal vein and the distance from the frontal bone to the venous angle was 43.7+/-.68%. 3) In epilepsy the ratio between the distance from the frontal bone to the venous angle and the distance from the frontal bone to the occipital bone was 43.9+/-.00%. 4) In epilepsy the ratio between the distance from the Twining's line to the venous angle and the vertex was 34.8+/-.46%. 5) In epilepsy the ratio between the distance from the Twining's line to the highest point of the internal cerebral vein and the vertex was 37.9+/-.46%. 6) Septal veins were elongated in proportion to the enlargement of the lateral ventricles and they were rather elongated in epileptic patients who had extremely oblique and flat forehead. 7) Internal cerebral veins were displaced upward or downward under various influences.