Morphological Variations in the Transverse Venous Sinus Anatomy of Dogs and its Relationship to Skull Landmarks

Summary We characterized the anatomical morphology of the transverse venous sinus ( TVS ) of 69 canine adult cadavers belonging to three groups: brachycephalic (B), dolichocephalic (D) and mesaticephalic (M). In addition, we outlined its path over the skull using five classic human craniometric points ( CP s): the asterion (ast), the bregma (b), the glabella ( g ), the stephanion (st) and the pterion (pt). The study aimed to establish anatomical differences in the TVS between groups and in the relationship between the TVS and skull. We found that TVS anatomy and its relationships to skull landmarks vary markedly between the groups, with similar anatomical arrangements in B and M. The TVS length can be ranked as M < B < D (with D being the biggest), whereas the width can be ranked as M < D < B (with B being the widest) with the right side being smaller than the left. In the B and M groups, the TVS assumes a craniocaudal trajectory that is closer to the lateral skull wall than in D, where the TVS presents a caudocranial direction. By documenting the morphological characteristics of the TVS , we can create a set of anatomical references allowing construction of a basic framework to greatly decrease the probability of TVS injury during neuronavigation procedures when supported by a good knowledge of the skull, brain anatomies and their relationships.