Venous Anatomy and Imaging of the First Centimeter

The outermost centimeter of the head contains multiple layers ranging from the skin to the meninges. The venous drainage of this region is complex and with wide anatomical variation. With advances in imaging techniques, delineation of this venous system has become better appreciated. Understanding the anatomy of the superficial venous system is fundamental in being able to differentiate pathology from normal variants and structures. This review aims to characterize the basic venous architecture of the first centimeter. In addition, it hopes to give an introduction to and examples of the methods employed to image it.