Middle meningeal vessels, dural venous sinuses, and emissary veins leave imprints and canals in the endocranium, and thus provide evidence of vascular patterns in osteological samples. This paper investigates whether craniovascular morphology undergoes changes in craniosynostotic human skulls, and if specific alterations may reflect structural and functional relationships in the cranium. The analyzed osteological sample consists of adult individuals with craniosynostoses generally associated with dolichocephalic or brachycephalic proportions, and a control sample of anatomically normal adult skulls. The pattern and dominance of the middle meningeal artery, the morphology of the confluence of the sinuses, and the size and number of the emissary foramina were evaluated. Craniovascular morphology was more diverse in craniosynostotic skulls than in anatomically normal skulls. The craniosynostotic skulls often displayed enlarged occipito-marginal sinuses and more numerous emissary foramina. The craniosynostotic skulls associated with more brachycephalic morphology often presented enlarged emissary foramina, while the craniosynostotic skulls associated with dolichocephalic effects frequently displayed more developed posterior branches of the middle meningeal artery. The course and morphology of the middle meningeal vessels, dural venous sinuses, and emissary veins in craniosynostotic skulls can be related to the redistribution of growth forces, higher intracranial pressure, venous hypertension, or thermal constraints. These functional and structural changes are of interest in both anthropology and medicine, involving epigenetic traits that concern the functional and ontogenetic balance between soft and hard tissues.

• Klíčová slova
• brachycephaly, dolichocephaly, dural venous sinuses, emissary veins, middle meningeal vessels,
• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• fenotyp MeSH
• hlava MeSH
• kraniosynostózy * MeSH
• lebka * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• sinus durae matris MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

The vascular networks running into the meningeal layers, between the brain and braincase, leave imprints on the endocranial surface. These traces are visible in osteological specimens and skeletal collections, providing indirect evidence of vascular patterns in those cases in which bone remains are the only source of anatomical information, such as in forensic science, bioarchaeology and paleontology. The main vascular elements are associated with the middle meningeal artery, the venous sinuses of the dura mater, and the emissary veins. Most of these vascular systems have been hypothesized to be involved in endocranial thermal regulation. Although these traits deal with macroanatomical features, much information on their variation is still lacking. In this survey, we analyze a set of craniovascular imprints in two European dry skull samples with different neurocranial proportions: a brachycephalic Czech sample (n = 103) and a mesocephalic Italian sample (n = 152). We analyzed variation and distribution, correlation with cranial metrics, and sex differences in the dominance of the branches of the middle meningeal artery, the patterns of confluence of the sinuses, and the size of the emissary foramina. The descriptive statistics provide a reference to compare specimens and samples from different case studies. When compared with the Italian skulls, the Czech skulls display a greater dominance of the anterior branch of the middle meningeal artery and more asymmetric right-dominance of the confluence of the venous sinuses. There is no sex difference in the middle meningeal vessels, but males show a greater prevalence of the occipito-marginal draining system. Differences in the middle meningeal vessels or venous sinuses are apparently not influenced by cranial dimensions or proportions. The mastoid foramina are larger in larger and more brachycephalic skulls, which increases the emissary potential flow in the Czech sample and males, when compared with the Italian samples and females, respectively. The number of mastoid foramina increases in wider skulls. This anatomic information is necessary to develop further morphological and functional inferences on the relationships between neurocranial bones and vessels at the genetic, ontogenetic, and phylogenetic levels.

• Klíčová slova
• blood flow, cranial foramina, emissary veins, middle meningeal artery, venous sinuses,
• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• lebka anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• meningy krevní zásobení   MeSH
• mrtvola MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH