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Transverse occipital sulcus

The transverse occipital sulcus is a prominent cortical sulcus of the occipital lobe that runs transversely across the posterior cerebral hemisphere. It serves as an important anatomical landmark separating the superior and inferior occipital gyri and contributes to the surface organization of the visual cortex.

This sulcus has relevance in neuroanatomy, functional brain mapping, epilepsy localization, and radiologic interpretation of occipital lobe pathology.

Synonyms

  • Occipital transverse sulcus

  • Transverse occipital fissure (less commonly used)

Location

  • Situated on the lateral aspect of the occipital lobe

  • Extends laterally and somewhat inferiorly from the end of the parieto-occipital sulcus

  • Lies posterior to the intraparietal sulcus and superior to the occipital pole gyri

  • Helps define borders between superior occipital gyri and adjacent lateral occipital cortex

MRI T1-weighted appearance

  • Sulcus (CSF) = low signal (dark)

  • Surrounding occipital cortex = intermediate/gray signal

  • Adjacent white matter = higher signal than cortex

  • Appears as a thin dark horizontal groove on the lateral occipital lobe on axial and coronal images

MRI T2-weighted appearance

  • Sulcus CSF = high signal (bright)

  • Cortex and white matter = darker than CSF

  • Appears as a bright transverse line/groove cutting across the lateral occipital cortex

MRI FLAIR appearance

  • Free CSF in the sulcus = suppressed (dark)

  • Cortex and subcortical white matter maintain usual FLAIR signal

  • Seen as a narrow dark cleft on the lateral occipital surface

CT (non-contrast) appearance

  • Sulcus (CSF) = low attenuation (dark)

  • Surrounding cortex and white matter = higher attenuation than CSF

  • Appears as a fine hypodense transverse groove within the lateral occipital lobe

CT (post-contrast) appearance

  • CSF in the sulcus = non-enhancing, hypodense

  • Adjacent cortex and vessels may enhance slightly

MRI images

MRI Transverse occipital sulcus coronal anatomy image -img-00000-00000

MRI images

MRI Transverse occipital sulcus sag anatomy image -img-00000-00000