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Diploic Veins

venae diploicae

The diploic veins are valveless venous channels within the cancellous bone (diploe) of the skull, running in bony canals lined by endothelium. The four named diploic veins are the frontal (drains to the supraorbital vein), the anterior temporal (drains to the sphenoparietal sinus), the posterior temporal (drains to the transverse sinus), and the occipital (drains to the occipital vein or the transverse sinus). They communicate with the meningeal veins internally and the pericranial veins externally.

Region: Head & Skull

Clinical Relevance

Clinical Notes

The diploic veins are the intracranial pathway for haematogenous spread of scalp infection to the dural sinuses. They are also the source of venous bleeding during craniotomy when the saw cuts through the skull diploe. Their communication with Batson's vertebral venous plexus creates a pathway for metastatic tumour spread from pelvic and thoracic malignancies to the skull. Diploic veins appear as serpiginous lucent channels on skull radiograph and as flow voids on MRI vascular sequences in their large form.

Pathology

Common Injuries & Conditions

Diploic Vein Bleeding During Craniotomy

Craniotomy saw cuts through the diploic layer produce venous bleeding from the diploic channels that is controlled by bone wax applied with a blunt dissector along the cut edge; inadequate bone wax application produces slow but cumulative venous ooze from the diploic bone that complicates dural opening.