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The condylar canal and emissary vein—a comprehensive and pictorial review of its anatomy and variation

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Abstract

The condylar canal and its associated emissary vein serve as vital landmarks during surgical interventions involving skull base surgery. The condylar canal serves to function as a bridge of communication from the intracranial to extracranial space. Variations of the condylar canal are extremely prevalent and can present as either bilateral, unilateral, or completely absent. Anatomical variations of the condylar canal pose as a potential risk to surgeons and radiologist during diagnosis as it could be misinterpreted for a glomus jugular tumor and require surgical intervention when one is not needed. Few literature reviews have articulated the condylar canal and its associated emissary vein through extensive imaging. This present paper aims to further the knowledge of anatomical variations and surgical anatomy involving the condylar canal through high-quality computed tomography (CT) images with cadaveric and dry bone specimens that have been injected with latex to highlight emissary veins arising from the condylar canal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Seattle Science Foundation, 550 17th Ave, James Tower, Suite 600, Seattle, WA, 98122, USA

    Stefan Lachkar, Shogo Kikuta, Joe Iwanaga & R. Shane Tubbs

  2. Division of Gross and Clinical Anatomy, Department of Anatomy, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan

    Joe Iwanaga

  3. Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George’s University, St. George’s, Grenada

    R. Shane Tubbs

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  1. Stefan Lachkar
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  2. Shogo Kikuta
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  3. Joe Iwanaga
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  4. R. Shane Tubbs
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Correspondence to Joe Iwanaga.

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Lachkar, S., Kikuta, S., Iwanaga, J. et al. The condylar canal and emissary vein—a comprehensive and pictorial review of its anatomy and variation. Childs Nerv Syst 35, 747–751 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-019-04120-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-019-04120-4

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