RESEARCH ARTICLE Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging of the Anatomic Variation of Thalamostriate Vein

Background and Purpose Thalamostriate vein (TSV) is an important tributary of the internal cerebral vein, which mainly drains the basal ganglia and deep medulla. The purpose of this study was to explore the anatomic variation and quality of TSV and its smaller tributaries using susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI). Methods We acquired SWI images in 40 volunteers on a 3.0TMR system using an 8-channel high-res-olution phased array coil. The frequencies of the TSV and its tributaries were evaluated. We classified TSV into types I (forming a venous angle) and II (forming a false venous angle). We classified anterior caudate vein (ACV)into types 1 (1 trunk) and 2 (2 trunks) as well as into types A (joiningTSV), B (joining anterior septal vein), and C (joining the angle of both veins). Results The TSV drains the areas of caudate nucleus, internal capsule,lentiform nucleus, external capsule, claustrum, extreme capsule and the white matter of the frontoparietal lobes,excep