Meaning & use
transverse sinus
Last updated
UK/ˌtrænzvɜːs ˈsaɪnəs/
US/trænzˌvɝːs ˈsaɪnəs/
Meaning
nouncountablemedical
One of a pair of channels along the back of the skull that carry blood out of the brain toward the neck veins.
Grammar: Usually plural in anatomy: the transverse sinuses.
Patterns
- thrombosis of the transverse sinus
A scan showed a clot in the right transverse sinus.
The transverse sinus runs along the inside of the skull.
Surgeons must avoid damaging the transverse sinus during the operation.
Word forms
| plural | transverse sinuses |
|---|
Common combinations
- left transverse sinus
- The left transverse sinus is often smaller.
- right transverse sinus
- The right transverse sinus was blocked.
- transverse sinus thrombosis
- Transverse sinus thrombosis can cause severe headaches.
- drain into the transverse sinus
- Blood from the brain drains into the transverse sinus.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lateral sinus
- Lateral sinus is an older term for the same channel and is less common in modern texts.
- dural sinus
- Dural sinus is a broader term covering every such channel, not only this one.
Word family
- transverse adjective
- lying across, side to side
- sinus noun
- a cavity or channel in the body
- sinusoidal adjective
- shaped like a sine wave
Commonly confused: transverse sinus or nasal sinus?
transverse sinus vs nasal sinus
Nasal sinuses are air spaces in the face, whereas the transverse sinus carries blood inside the skull.
Practice
The transverse sinus is mainly a channel for ____.
Choose one answer.
It is a venous channel in the skull. Air spaces in the face are different sinuses.
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