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Superior frontal sulcus

The superior frontal sulcus is a prominent anatomical groove located on the dorsolateral aspect of the frontal lobe, separating the superior frontal gyrus from the middle frontal gyrus. Running parallel to the interhemispheric fissure, this sulcus extends from the prefrontal cortex anteriorly toward the precentral region posteriorly. It plays a significant role in neuroanatomical orientation and serves as an important landmark in both structural and functional brain imaging.

Synonyms

  • SFS (abbreviation)

  • Sulcus frontalis superior (Latin)

  • Superior frontal fissure (less commonly used)

Function

  • Anatomical landmark: Delineates the superior frontal gyrus from the middle frontal gyrus.

  • Used in neuroimaging and neurosurgical navigation to localize adjacent functional regions.

  • No direct functional role, but the gyri it separates are involved in cognitive processes, including working memory and executive function.

Arterial Supply

  • Supplied primarily by branches of the anterior cerebral artery (ACA), specifically the pericallosal and callosomarginal arteries.

  • Supplemented by small cortical branches from the middle cerebral artery (MCA) (prefrontal branches).

Venous Drainage

  • Drained by superficial cortical veins, including:

    • Superior anastomotic vein (of Trolard)

    • Superior sagittal sinus (via bridging veins)

    • Frontal cortical veins draining directly or indirectly into the superior sagittal sinus

MRI Appearance

  • T2-Weighted MRI:

    • The sulcus appears as a hyperintense (bright) CSF-filled cleft, sharply demarcating the adjacent gyri.

    • The cortical gray matter appears intermediate to slightly hyperintense compared to white matter.

  • T1-Weighted MRI:

    • Sulcus is hypointense (dark) due to CSF signal, clearly outlining the superior frontal gyrus above and the middle frontal gyrus below.

    • Adjacent gray matter is isointense to slightly hypointense relative to white matter.

  • FLAIR MRI:

    • CSF within the sulcus appears hypointense (dark), with improved contrast against suppressed CSF signal, making the sulcus more conspicuous in pathological conditions (e.g., edema).

CT Appearance

  • The superior frontal sulcus appears as a linear hypodense (dark) area on non-contrast CT, representing the CSF space between the gyri.

  • Best visualized in the axial plane; prominence may increase in cases of atrophy or volume loss.

  • Adjacent cortex is isodense to other cortical areas; sulcus is less sharply defined than on MRI.

MRI images

Superior frontal sulcus MRI 3T axial image

MRI images

Superior frontal sulcus MRI 3T sagittal image