Emissary Foramens Of The Human Skull

Emissary Foramens Of The Human Skull

Define emissary veins. Enumerate the important emissary veins and discuss their functional and clinical importance.
Answer.

The emissary veins are thin-walled venous channels that connect the extracranial veins to the intracranial dural venous sinuses.

Following are the important emissary veins:

• Parietal emissary vein
• Mastoid emissary vein
• An emissary vein passing through the foramen ovale or emissary sphenoidal foramen
• Small emissary veins pass through the foramen lacerum and connect the cavernous sinus to the pterygoid plexus of veins
• An emissary vein passes through the posterior condylar canal and connects the sigmoid sinus to the suboccipital plexus of veins
• Ophthalmic veins can also act as emissary veins

Emissary Veins Functions The emissary’s veins help to maintain the constant intracranial pressure because blood passing through them can flow in either direction according to the state of intracranial pressure.

Emissary Veins Functions Clinical importance They can carry infection from outside the skull to inside the skull (i.e. the cranial cavity).