Information about Middle Cranial Fossa
| Middle cranial fossa | |
|---|---|
) | |
| Base of the skull. Upper surface. (Middle cranial fossa is the centermost of the three indentations, in pink and yellow.) | |
| Latin | fossa cranii media |
| subject #47 190 | |
It is bounded in front by the posterior margins of the small wings of the sphenoid, the anterior clinoid processes, and the ridge forming the anterior margin of the chiasmatic groove; behind, by the superior angles of the petrous portions of the temporals and the dorsum sellæ; laterally by the temporal squamæ, sphenoidal angles of the parietals, and great wings of the sphenoid. It is traversed by the squamosal, sphenoparietal, sphenosquamosal, and sphenopetrosal sutures.
Middle part
The middle part of the fossa presents, in front, the chiasmatic groove and tuberculum sellæ; the chiasmatic groove ends on either side at the optic foramen, which transmits the optic nerve and ophthalmic artery to the orbital cavity.Behind the optic foramen the anterior clinoid process is directed backward and medialward and gives attachment to the tentorium cerebelli.
Behind the tuberculum sellæ is a deep depression, the sella turcica, containing the fossa hypophyseos, which lodges the hypophysis, and presents on its anterior wall the middle clinoid processes.
The sella turcica is bounded posteriorly by a quadrilateral plate of bone, the dorsum sellæ, the upper angles of which are surmounted by the posterior clinoid processes: these afford attachment to the tentorium cerebelli, and below each is a notch for the abducent nerve.
On either side of the sella turcica is the carotid groove, which is broad, shallow, and curved somewhat like the italic letter f.
It begins behind at the foramen lacerum, and ends on the medial side of the anterior clinoid process, where it is sometimes converted into a foramen (carotico-clinoid) by the union of the anterior with the middle clinoid process; posteriorly, it is bounded laterally by the lingula.
This groove lodges the cavernous sinus and the internal carotid artery, the latter being surrounded by a plexus of sympathetic nerves.
Lateral parts
The lateral parts of the middle fossa are of considerable depth, and support the temporal lobes of the brain.They are marked by depressions for the brain convolutions and traversed by furrows for the anterior and posterior branches of the middle meningeal vessels.
These furrows begin near the foramen spinosum, and the anterior runs forward and upward to the sphenoidal angle of the parietal, where it is sometimes converted into a bony canal; the posterior runs lateralward and backward across the temporal squama and passes on to the parietal near the middle of its lower border.
The following apertures are also to be seen.
In front is the superior orbital fissure, bounded above by the small wing, below, by the great wing, and medially, by the body of the sphenoid; it is usually completed laterally by the orbital plate of the frontal bone.
It transmits to the orbital cavity the oculomotor, the trochlear, the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal, and the abducent nerves, some filaments from the cavernous plexus of the sympathetic, and the orbital branch of the middle meningeal artery; and from the orbital cavity a recurrent branch from the lacrimal artery to the dura mater, and the ophthalmic veins.
Behind the medial end of the superior orbital fissure is the foramen rotundum, for the passage of the maxillary nerve.
Behind and lateral to the foramen rotundum is the foramen ovale, which transmits the mandibular nerve, the accessory meningeal artery, and the lesser superficial petrosal nerve.
Medial to the foramen ovale is the foramen Vesalii, which varies in size in different individuals, and is often absent; when present, it opens below at the lateral side of the scaphoid fossa, and transmits a small vein.
Lateral to the foramen ovale is the foramen spinosum, for the passage of the middle meningeal vessels, and a recurrent branch from the mandibular nerve.
Medial to the foramen ovale is the foramen lacerum; in the fresh state the lower part of this aperture is filled up by a layer of fibrocartilage, while its upper and inner parts transmit the internal carotid artery surrounded by a plexus of sympathetic nerves.
The nerve of the pterygoid canal and a meningeal branch from the ascending pharyngeal artery pierce the layer of fibrocartilage.
On the anterior surface of the petrous portion of the temporal bone are seen the eminence caused by the projection of the superior semicircular canal; in front of and a little lateral to this a depression corresponding to the roof of the tympanic cavity; the groove leading to the hiatus of the facial canal, for the transmission of the greater superficial petrosal nerve and the petrosal branch of the middle meningeal artery; beneath it, the smaller groove, for the passage of the lesser superficial petrosal nerve; and, near the apex of the bone, the depression for the semilunar ganglion and the orifice of the carotid canal.
See also
External links
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.Bones of head and neck: cranial sutures, fontanelles, and related regions | |
|---|---|
| Cranial sutures | Coronal - Lambdoid - Occipitomastoid - Sphenofrontal - Sphenoparietal - Sphenosquamosal - Sphenozygomatic -Squamosal - Zygomaticotemporal - Zygomaticofrontal - Frontal/Metopic - Sagittal - Frontoethmoidal - Petrosquamous - Sphenoethmoidal - Sphenopetrosal |
| Fontanelles | Anterior fontanelle - Posterior fontanelle |
| Foramina of multiple bones | Inferior orbital fissure - Foramen lacerum - Jugular foramen - Nasolacrimal canal |
| Fossae | Anterior cranial fossa - Middle cranial fossa - Posterior cranial fossa - Cranial cavity |
| Other compound structures | Asterion - Nasion - Pterion - Dacryon - Zygomatic arch - Calvaria - Temporal fossa - Infratemporal fossa - Stephanion - Pterygomaxillary fissure - Pterygopalatine fossa |
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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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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The floor of the anterior fossa is formed by the orbital plates of the frontal, the cribriform plate of the ethmoid, and the small wings and front part of the body of the sphenoid; it is limited behind by the posterior borders of the small wings of the sphenoid and by the anterior
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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 skull can be subdivided into two parts: the cranium and the mandible.
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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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The sphenoid bone somewhat resembles a butterfly or bat with its wings extended.
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chiasmatic groove (optic groove, prechiasmatic sulcus), above and behind which lies the optic chiasma.
The groove ends on either side in the optic foramen, which transmits the optic nerve and ophthalmic artery into the orbital cavity.
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The groove ends on either side in the optic foramen, which transmits the optic nerve and ophthalmic artery into the orbital cavity.
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dorsum sellæ, ending at its superior angles in two tubercles, the posterior clinoid processes, the size and form of which vary considerably in different individuals.
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Additional images
Tentorium cerebelli from above.
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chiasmatic groove (optic groove, prechiasmatic sulcus), above and behind which lies the optic chiasma.
The groove ends on either side in the optic foramen, which transmits the optic nerve and ophthalmic artery into the orbital cavity.
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The groove ends on either side in the optic foramen, which transmits the optic nerve and ophthalmic artery into the orbital cavity.
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In the sphenoid bone, behind the chiasmatic groove is an elevation, the tuberculum sellæ (or the tubercle of sella turcica).
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External links
- Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34257.000-2
- Diagram at uni-mainz.
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optic foramen, which transmits the optic nerve and ophthalmic artery (with accompanying sympathetic nerve fibres) into the orbital cavity.
The optic foramen is the opening to the optic canal.
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The optic foramen is the opening to the optic canal.
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Optic Nerve may be a reference to:
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- Optic nerve, the anatomical structure;
- Optic Nerve (comic), the comic book series;
- Optic Nerve (1998), the seminal release from the Irish hip hop act known as Exile Eye; or
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The ophthalmic artery is a branch of the internal carotid artery which supplies branches to supply the eye and other structures in the orbit.
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Branches
The branches of the ophthalmic artery are often subdivided into an orbital group and an ocular group [1] ...... Click the link for more information.
In anatomy, the orbit is the cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated.
It can also mean the skin which surrounds the eye of a bird.
In the adult human, the volume of the orbit is 30 ml, of which the eye occupies 6.5 ml.
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It can also mean the skin which surrounds the eye of a bird.
In the adult human, the volume of the orbit is 30 ml, of which the eye occupies 6.5 ml.
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anterior clinoid process, which gives attachment to the tentorium cerebelli; it is sometimes joined to the middle clinoid process by a spicule of bone, and when this occurs the termination of the groove for the internal carotid artery is converted into a foramen (carotico-clinoid).
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The tentorium cerebelli or cerebellar tentorium (Latin: "tent of the cerebellum") is an extension of the dura mater that separates the cerebellum from the inferior portion of the occipital lobes.
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The Sella turcica (literally ) is a saddle-shaped depression in the sphenoid bone at the base of the human skull.
The seat of the saddle is known as the hypophyseal fossa which holds the pituitary gland. Located anteriorly to the hypophyseal fossa is the tuberculum sellae.
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The seat of the saddle is known as the hypophyseal fossa which holds the pituitary gland. Located anteriorly to the hypophyseal fossa is the tuberculum sellae.
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fossa hypophyseos (or fossa hypophysialis).
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External links
- Diagram at uni-mainz.d
- Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34257.
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The pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea that sits in a small, bony cavity (sella turcica) covered by a dural fold (sellar diaphragm) at the base of the brain.
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middle clinoid processes.
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.
..... Click the link for more information.
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.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Sella turcica (literally ) is a saddle-shaped depression in the sphenoid bone at the base of the human skull.
The seat of the saddle is known as the hypophyseal fossa which holds the pituitary gland. Located anteriorly to the hypophyseal fossa is the tuberculum sellae.
..... Click the link for more information.
The seat of the saddle is known as the hypophyseal fossa which holds the pituitary gland. Located anteriorly to the hypophyseal fossa is the tuberculum sellae.
..... Click the link for more information.
dorsum sellæ, ending at its superior angles in two tubercles, the posterior clinoid processes, the size and form of which vary considerably in different individuals.
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Additional images
Tentorium cerebelli from above.
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The abducens nerve (the sixth cranial nerve, also called the sixth nerve or simply VI) is a motor nerve (a “somatic efferent” nerve) that controls the movement of a single muscle, the lateral rectus muscle of the eye.
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carotid groove.
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External links
- Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34257.000-2
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The foramen lacerum (Latin for lacerated piercing) is a triangular hole in the base of the skull located at the base of the medial pterygoid plate.
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Transit through the foramen lacerum
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Lingula is Latin for "little tongue". It can stand for:
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- Lingula (genus) a brachiopod genus of the family Lingulidae, which is among the few brachiopods surviving today but also known from fossils over 50 million years old.
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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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In human anatomy, the internal carotid artery is a major artery of the head and neck that helps supply blood to the brain.
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Classification
Terminologia Anatomica currently breaks the artery into four parts: "cervical", "petrous", "cavernous", and "cerebral"...... Click the link for more information.
The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) is a branch of the autonomic nervous system. It is always active at a basal level (called sympathetic tone) and becomes more active during times of stress.
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The temporal lobes are part of the cerebrum. They lie at the sides of the brain, beneath the lateral or Sylvian fissure. Seen in profile, the human brain looks something like a boxing glove. The temporal lobes are where the thumbs would be.
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In animals, the brain or encephalon (Greek for "in the skull"), is the control center of the central nervous system, responsible for behavior. The brain is located in the head, protected by the skull and close to the primary sensory apparatus of vision, hearing,
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The middle meningeal artery (Latin arteria meningea media) is typically the first branch of the first part (retromandibular part) of the maxillary artery; one of the two terminal branches of the external carotid artery.
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