Ring-shaped Dandy's superior petrosal vein.

BACKGROUND

Dandy's superior petrosal vein (SPV) anatomy is highly relevant for neurosurgeons. The SPV drains into the superior petrosal sinus (SPS), closely related to the trigeminal and internal auditory pores.

METHOD: The archived enhanced MRI files of a male patient were studied.

RESULTS

An infratentorial ring-shaped (RS) SPV was found on the petrosal surface of the right cerebellar hemisphere. It was inserted in the SPS above the internal auditory pore, postero-lateral to the trigeminal pore. The anterior arm of that venous ring received a delicate supratrigeminal plexus of veins from the pontine surface and continued as a single venous trunk on the cerebellar surface.

CONCLUSION

Such previously unreported RS-SPV is of utmost importance to be identified before subtemporal transtentorial and retrosigmoid approaches for different neurosurgical reasons.