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Information about Foramen Vesalii

Bone: Sphenoidal emissary foramen
Sphenoid bone. Upper surface. (Sphenoidal emissary foramen labeled at left, fourth from bottom.)
Base of the skull. Upper surface. (Sphenoid is yellow, and sphenoidal emissary foramen is labeled at bottom of sphenoid.)
LatinForamen venosum
subject #35 150
Dorlands/Elsevier f_12/12373813
In the base of the skull, in the great wings of the sphenoid bone, medial to the foramen ovale, a small aperture, the sphenoidal emissary foramen, may occasionally be seen (it is often absent) opposite the root of the pterygoid process. When present, it opens below near the scaphoid fossa. Vesalius was the first to describe and illustrate this foramen, and it thus sometimes bears the name of foramen Vesalii (meaning 'foramen of Vesalius'). Other names include foramen venosum and canaliculus sphenoidalis.

Importance

If at all present, the sphenoidal emissary foramen gives passage to a small vein (vein of Vesalius) that connects the pterygoid plexus with the cavernous sinus. The importance of this passage lies in the fact that an infected thrombus from an extracranial source may reach the cavernous sinus.[1] The mean area of the foramen is small, which may suggest that it plays a minor role in the dynamics of blood circulation in the venous system of the head.[2]

Morphology and morphometry

The sphenoidal emissary foramen varies in size in different individuals, and is not always present on both sides of the sphenoid bone (one on each great wing of the sphenoid). In a study conducted under 100 skulls, the sphenoidal emissary foramen was only present in 17% of the cases, and it was always single.[2]

In another study, the differences between the right and the left side as well as the differences between the male and the female sex were noted. Out of the 70 sides observed (35 skulls total), the sphenoidal emissary foramen was present in 32.85% of the cases (20.0% right side, 12.85% left side). The incidence of bilateral and unilateral sphenoidal emissary foramen was 22.85% (8 out of 35 skulls) and 20% (7 out of 35 skulls) respectively. Regarding the differences between the male and the female sex, no remarkable differences were observed, although the occurrence of the foramen was more in females compared to males (found in 13 sides in females and in 10 sides in males).[1]
The skulls with one foramen were most frequent; those with two followed it and those with 3 (sphenoidal emissary) foramina were least frequent.[5] Lang (1983) reported that the sphenoidal emissary foramen was present in about 40% of his material. It was found on the right side in 49% of the cases and in 36% of the cases on the left. [6]

In the newborn, the foramen is about 1.0 mm in length, in the adults at the right side about 2 mm and at the left side 1.4 mm. The width increases from 1.0 to 1.14 mm at the right side and from 1.0 to 1.3 mm at the left side.[7]

Asymmetry

Though the sphenoidal emissary foramen is small and variable, it is consistently symmetrical. In a study in which 50 high-resolution CT scans of the base of the skull were reviewed, the significance of asymmetry was investigated. In a large number of cases, the foramen was remarkably symmetric, and where there was asymmetry, it signified abnormality in four of the six cases. Abnormal causes of asymmetry included invasion by nasopharyngeal melanoma, angiofibroma, carotid-cavernous fistula with drainage through the emissary veins, and neurofibromatosis. Thus, for the usually symmetric sphenoidal emissary foramina, asymmetry is more likely the result of a pathologic process than a normal variant.[8] Ginsberg, Pruett, Chen and Elster did not find that asymmetry indicated disease in a study under 123 CT studies.[9]

References

1. ^ Gupta N, Ray B, Ghosh S (2005). "Anatomic characteristics of foramen vesalius". Kathmandu University Medical Journal 3 (10): 155-8. PMID 16415612. 
2. ^ Reymond J, Charuta A, Wysocki J (2005). "The morphology and morphometry of the foramina of the greater wing of the human sphenoid bone". Folia Morphologica Warszaw 64 (3): 188-93. PMID 16228954. 
3. ^ Reymond J, Charuta A, Wysocki J (2005). "The morphology and morphometry of the foramina of the greater wing of the human sphenoid bone". Folia Morphologica Warszaw 64 (3): 188-93. PMID 16228954. 
4. ^ Gupta N, Ray B, Ghosh S (2005). "Anatomic characteristics of foramen vesalius". Kathmandu University Medical Journal 3 (10): 155-8. PMID 16415612. 
5. ^ Kodama K, Inoue K, Nagashima M, Matsumura G, Watanabe S, Kodama G (1997). "Studies on the foramen vesalius in the Japanese juvenile and adult skulls". The Hokkaido Journal of Medical Science 72 (6): 667-74. PMID 9465318. 
6. ^ Illustrated Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation: Opus V: Skeletal Systems: Cranium - Sphenoid Bone. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation. Retrieved on 2006-04-09.
7. ^ Lang J, Maier R, Schafhauser O (1984). "Postnatal enlargement of the foramina rotundum, ovale et spinosum and their topographical changes". Anatomischer Anzeiger 156 (5): 351-87. PMID 6486466. 
8. ^ Lanzieri CF, Duchesneau PM, Rosenbloom SA, Smith AS, Rosenbaum AE (1988). "The significance of asymmetry of the foramen of Vesalius". American Journal of Neuroradiology 9 (6): 1201-4. PMID 3143245. 
9. ^ Ginsberg LE, Pruett SW, Chen MY, Elster AD (February 1994). "Skull-base foramina of the middle cranial fossa: reassessment of normal variation with high-resolution CT". American Journal of Neuroradiology 15 (2): 283-91. PMID 8192074. 

See also

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
Human cranial bones
 •  • [ e]
occipital bone: Foramen magnum | Squama occipitalis (Inion | Nuchal lines | Planum occipitale | Planum nuchale | Internal occipital protuberance | Sagittal sulcus | Internal occipital crest) | Lateral parts (Hypoglossal canal | Condyloid fossa | Condyloid canal | Jugular process | Jugular tubercle) | Basilar part (Pharyngeal tubercle) parietal bone: Parietal eminence | Temporal line | Parietal foramen frontal bone: Squama frontalis (Frontal suture | Frontal eminence | Superciliary arches | Glabella | Supraorbital foramen | Zygomatic process | Sagittal sulcus | Frontal crest | Foramen cecum) | Pars orbitalis (Frontal sinus | Frontonasal duct) temporal bone: Squama temporalis (Articular tubercle | Suprameatal triangle | Mandibular fossa | Petrotympanic fissure) | Mastoid portion (Mastoid foramen | Mastoid process | Mastoid notch | Occipital groove | Sigmoid sulcus | Mastoid antrum) | Petrous portion (Hiatus of the facial canal | Internal auditory meatus | Subarcuate fossa | Carotid canal | Aqueduct of cochlea | Jugular fossa | Inferior tympanic canaliculus | Mastoid canaliculus | Styloid process | Stylomastoid foramen | Jugular foramen | Petrosquamous suture) | Tympanic part (Suprameatal spine) | Zygomatic process sphenoid bone: Sphenoidal sinuses | Ethmoidal spine | Optic foramen | Sella turcica | Fossa hypophyseos | Dorsum sellae | Posterior clinoid processes | Carotid groove | Lingula sphenoidalis | Sphenoidal conchæ | Great wings (Spina angularis | Foramen rotundum | Foramen ovale | Foramen Vesalii | Foramen spinosum | Infratemporal crest | Sulcus tubae auditivae | Small wings | Superior orbital fissure | Anterior clinoid process | Optic foramen) | Pterygoid processes (Pterygoid fossa | Scaphoid fossa | Lateral pterygoid plate | Medial pterygoid plate | Pterygoid hamulus | Sphenoidal conchæ | Sphenoidal sinuses) ethmoid bone: Cribriform plate | Crista galli | Perpendicular plate | Labyrinth | Ethmoid sinus | Uncinate process | Middle nasal concha | Superior meatus | Superior nasal concha | Middle meatus
Facial bones
maxilla: Incisive fossa | Maxillary sinus | Incisive fossa | Canine fossa | Infraorbital foramen | Anterior nasal spine | Alveolar canals | Orbitofrontal cortex | Infraorbital canal | Pterygopalatine canal | Zygomatic process | Agger nasi | Anterior lacrimal crest | Alveolar process | Incisive foramen | Incisive canals | Foramina of Scarpa | Premaxilla | Anterior nasal spine lacrimal bone: Posterior lacrimal crest zygomatic bone: Zygomaticofacial foramen | Zygomaticotemporal foramen | Zygomaticoörbital foramina palatine bone: Pterygopalatine fossa | Pterygoid fossa | Horizontal plate | Posterior nasal spine | Perpendicular plate | Pterygopalatine canal | Sphenopalatine foramen | Pyramidal process | Orbital process | Sphenoidal process mandible: Symphysis menti | Mental foramen | Mylohyoid line | Ramus mandibulae | Mandibular foramen | Mandibular canal others: nasal bone | inferior nasal conchae | vomer bone
composite structures
Cranial sutures: Coronal | Lambdoidal | Occipitomastoid | Parietomastoid | Sphenofrontal | Sphenoparietal |Sphenosquamosal | Sphenozygomatic |Squamosal | Zygomaticotemporal | Zygomaticofrontal | Frontal/Metopic | Sagittal | Frontoethmoidal | Petrosquamous | Sphenoethmoidal | Sphenopetrosal Asterion | Nasion | Pterion | Dacryon | Inferior orbital fissure
The sphenoid bone (from Greek sphenoeides, "wedgelike") is a bone situated at the base of the skull in front of the temporals and basilar part of the occipital bone.

The sphenoid bone somewhat resembles a butterfly or bat with its wings extended.
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Latin}}} 
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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skull is a bony structure found in many animals which serves as the general framework for the head. The skull supports the structures of the face and protects the head against injury.

The skull can be subdivided into two parts: the cranium and the mandible.
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The greater wing of the sphenoid bone, or ali-sphenoid, is a bony process of the sphenoid bone; there is one on each side, extending from the side of the body of the sphenoid and curving upward, laterally, and backwards.
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The sphenoid bone (from Greek sphenoeides, "wedgelike") is a bone situated at the base of the skull in front of the temporals and basilar part of the occipital bone.

The sphenoid bone somewhat resembles a butterfly or bat with its wings extended.
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There are multiple structures in the human body with the name foramen ovale (plural: foramina ovalia; Latin for "oval hole"):
  • In the fetal heart, the foramen ovale (heart) is a shunt from the right to left atrium.

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The pterygoid processes of the sphenoid, one on either side, descend perpendicularly from the regions where the body and great wings unite.

Each process consists of a Medial pterygoid plate and a Lateral pterygoid plate, the upper parts of which are fused anteriorly; a
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scaphoid fossa, which gives origin to the Tensor veli palatini.

External links

  • Diagram - look for #28 (source here )
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy.
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Andreas Vesalius (Brussels, December 31, 1514 - Zakynthos, October 15, 1564) was an anatomist, physician, and author of one of the most influential books on human anatomy, De humani corporis fabrica (On the Workings of the Human Body).
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The pterygoid plexus is of considerable size, and is situated between the Temporalis and Pterygoideus externus, and partly between the two pterygoid muscles.

Tributaries received

It receives tributaries corresponding with the branches of the maxillary artery.
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The cavernous sinus (or lateral sellar compartment), within the human head, is a large collection of thin-walled veins creating a cavity bordered by the sphenoid bone and the temporal bone of the skull.
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thrombus, or blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. It is achieved via the aggregation of platelets that form a platelet plug, and the activation of the humoral coagulation system (i.e. clotting factors).
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Circulatory System is a psychedelic rock musical ensemble formed by musician/painter Will Cullen Hart, and featuring Hannah Jones, Derek Almstead, Peter Erchick, John Fernandes, and Heather McIntosh.
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Computed tomography (CT), originally known as computed axial tomography (CAT or CT scan) and body section roentgenography, is a medical imaging method employing tomography where digital geometry processing is used to generate a three-dimensional image of the
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MeSH D020216 A carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF) results from an abnormal communication between the arterial and venous systems within the cavernous sinus in the skull. It is a type of arteriovenous fistula.
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The emissary veins are valveless veins which normally drain the intracranial venous sinuses to veins on the outside of the skull. However, because they are valveless, blood can flow into the skull through them as well, making them a possible route for transmission of extracranial
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MeSH D017253 Neurofibromatosis is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder. It encompasses a set of distinct genetic disorders that cause tumors to grow along types of nerves and, in addition, can affect the development of non-nervous tissues such as bones and skin.
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bone location foramen vessels nerves
frontal - supraorbital foramen supraorbital artery, supraorbital vein supraorbital nerve
frontal anterior cranial fossa foramen cecum emissary veins to superior sagittal sinus -
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Public domain comprises the body of knowledge and innovation (especially creative works such as writing, art, music, and inventions) in relation to which no person or other legal entity can establish or maintain proprietary interests within a particular legal jurisdiction.
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Henry Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (or Gray's Anatomy as it has commonly been shortened) is an English-language human anatomy textbook widely regarded as a classic work on the subject.
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skull is normally made up of 22 bones. Except for the mandible, all of the bones of the skull are joined together by sutures, synarthrodial (immovable) joints formed by bony ossification, with Sharpey's fibres permitting some flexibility.
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The occipital bone, a saucer-shaped membrane bone situated at the back and lower part of the cranium, is trapezoid in shape and curved on itself. It is pierced by a large oval aperture, the foramen magnum, through which the cranial cavity communicates with the vertebral canal.
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In anatomy, in the occipital bone, the foramen magnum (Latin: 'great hole') is one of the several oval or circular apertures in the base of the skull (the foramina), through which the medulla oblongata (an extension of the spinal cord) enters and exits the skull vault.
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The squama of the occipital bone, situated above and behind the foramen magnum, is curved from above downward and from side to side.

External surface

The external surface
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The inion is the most prominent projection of the occipital bone at the lower rear part of the skull. The ligamentum nuchae and trapezius muscle attach to it.

The term external occipital protuberance (protuberantia occipitalis externa
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The nuchal lines are four curved lines on the external surface of the occipital bone:
  • The upper, often faintly marked, is named the highest nuchal line, and to it the galea aponeurotica is attached.

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planum occipitale (or occipital plane), and is covered by the Occipitalis muscle.

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated.
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planum nuchale (or nuchal plane), is rough and irregular for the attachment of several muscles.

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated.
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internal occipital protuberance.

See also

  • external occipital protuberance

External links

  • Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34257.000-2
  • Diagram at uni-mainz.

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