Collecting blood from the skull, brain, superficial face, and parts of the neck, the internal jugular vein begins as a dilated continuation of the sigmoid sinus, which is a dural venous sinus. This initial dilated part is referred to as the superior bulb of jugular vein and receives another dural venous sinus (the inferior petrosal sinus) soon after it is formed. It exits the skull through the jugular foramen associated with the glossopharyngeal [IX], vagus [X], and accessory [XI] nerves, and enters the carotid sheath.