VENOUS SINUS

in human anatomy, any of the channels of a branching complex sinus network that lies between layers of the dura mater, the outermost covering of the brain, and functions to collect oxygen-depleted blood. Unlike veins, these sinuses possess no muscular coat. Their lining is endothelium, a layer of cells like that which forms the surface of the innermost coat of the veins. The sinuses receive blood from the veins of the brain and connect directly or ultimately with the internal jugular vein. Blood from the sinuses, after it leaves the internal jugular vein, flows through the brachiocephalic vein and the superior vena cava to the upper right chamber (atrium) of the heart.