TY - JOUR T1 - Dural Venous Channels: Hidden in Plain Sight–Reassessment of an Under-Recognized Entity JF - American Journal of Neuroradiology JO - Am. J. Neuroradiol. SP - 1434 LP - 1440 DO - 10.3174/ajnr.A6647 VL - 41 IS - 8 AU - M. Shapiro AU - K. Srivatanakul AU - E. Raz AU - M. Litao AU - E. Nossek AU - P.K. Nelson Y1 - 2020/08/01 UR - http://www.ajnr.org/content/41/8/1434.abstract N2 - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Tentorial sinus venous channels within the tentorium cerebelli connecting various cerebellar and supratentorial veins, as well as the basal vein, to adjacent venous sinuses are a well-recognized entity. Also well-known are “dural lakes” at the vertex. However, the presence of similar channels in the supratentorial dura, serving as recipients of the Labbe, superficial temporal, and lateral and medial parieto-occipital veins, among others, appears to be underappreciated. Also under-recognized is the possible role of these channels in the angioarchitecture of certain high-grade dural fistulas.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of 100 consecutive angiographic studies was performed following identification of index cases to gather data on the angiographic and cross-sectional appearance, location, length, and other features. A review of 100 consecutive dural fistulas was also performed to identify those not directly involving a venous sinus.RESULTS: Supratentorial dural venous channels were found in 26% of angiograms. They have the same appearance as those in the tentorium cerebelli, a flattened, ovalized morphology owing to their course between 2 layers of the dura, in contradistinction to a rounded cross-section of cortical and bridging veins. They are best appreciated on angiography and volumetric postcontrast T1-weighted images. Ten dural fistulas not directly involving a venous sinus were identified, 6 tentorium cerebelli and 4 supratentorial.CONCLUSIONS: Supratentorial dural venous channels are an under-recognized entity. They may play a role in the angioarchitecture of dural arteriovenous fistulas that appear to drain directly into a cortical vein. We propose “dural venous channel” as a unifying name for these structures. ER -