Vessel
Great cerebral vein (of Galen)
A short collecting trunk of deep cerebral drainage
High-yield
Trace the common pathway: paired internal cerebral veins → great cerebral vein → straight sinus, with the inferior sagittal sinus joining at the latter's origin.
Overview
The internal cerebral veins converge beneath the posterior corpus callosum into the great cerebral vein. Basal and other nearby veins contribute variably. This short trunk runs toward the straight sinus, meeting the inferior sagittal sinus near the falx–tentorium junction. It collects drainage from important deep brain territories.
Reference facts
- Origin
- Usually formed by the paired internal cerebral veins beneath the splenium in the quadrigeminal-cisternal region.
- Course
- A short posteriorly and superiorly directed trunk beneath/behind the splenium, approaching the straight sinus.
- Branches
- Tributaries include internal cerebral and basal veins, with variable pineal, posterior cerebral and superior cerebellar contributions.
- Drains to
- Normally enters the straight sinus where the inferior sagittal sinus also joins.
Clinical correlation
The classic vein-of-Galen aneurysmal malformation involves shunts into a persistent embryonic median prosencephalic vein, rather than simply an aneurysm of the normal adult vein. High shunt flow may cause neonatal cardiac failure; altered cerebral venous and CSF dynamics may produce hydrocephalus.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the great cerebral vein (of Galen) originate?
Usually formed by the paired internal cerebral veins beneath the splenium in the quadrigeminal-cisternal region.
Where does the great cerebral vein (of Galen) drain to?
The great cerebral vein (of Galen) drains to the normally enters the straight sinus where the inferior sagittal sinus also joins.
What are the tributaries of the great cerebral vein (of Galen)?
Tributaries include internal cerebral and basal veins, with variable pineal, posterior cerebral and superior cerebellar contributions.
What is the course of the great cerebral vein (of Galen)?
A short posteriorly and superiorly directed trunk beneath/behind the splenium, approaching the straight sinus.