Anatomy of the skull (the neurocranium)

Question 1

What is the skull spilt into?

Answer 1

The viscerocranium and the neurocranium

Question 2

What bones make up the neurocranium?

Answer 2

8 bones:

• Frontal
• Parietal x2
• Temporal x2
• Occipital
• Sphenoid
• Erythmoid

Question 3

What sutures does the frontal bone form? With which bones?

Answer 3

Coronal suture (Formed with the parietal bones)

Frontal (Metopic) suture (formed by either side of the frontal bone befrore fusion at 1-3 years old)

Question 4

What is the Bregma?

Answer 4

The point at which the coronal and the saggital sutures meet (intersect each other)

Question 5

What is the supraorbital foramen?

Answer 5

The foramen above the orbits

Lateral to the frontal notch

Question 6

What is the frontal notch?

Answer 6

Notch medial to the supraorbital foramen

Question 7

What is a tuberocity?

Answer 7

A rounded prominence on a bone for muscle/ligament attachment

Question 8

What passes through the supraorbital foramen?

Answer 8

SupraORBITAL artery

Lateral branch of the supraOBITAL nerve

Question 9

What passes through the frontal foramen?

Answer 9

SupraTROCHLEAR artery

Medial branch of the supraORBITAL nerve

Question 10

What passes through the frontal foramen?

Answer 10

SupraTROCHLEAR artery

Medial branch of the supraORBITAL nerve

Question 11

What is the function of the sphenoid bone?

Answer 11

• Attachment of muscles
• Give ridigity to the skull (makes up the base of the skull)
• Contributes to the middle cranial fossa

Question 12

What are the parts of the sphenoid bone?

Answer 12

• Body
• Lesser wing
• Greater wing
• Pterygoid process

Question 13

What does the body of the sphenoid contribute to?

Answer 13

The nasal cavity

Medial wall of the optic canal

Question 14

What does the body of the sphenoid contribute to?

Answer 14

The nasal cavity

Medial wall of the optic canal

Question 15

What sinuses do the sphenoid bone house and where?

Answer 15

The sphenoid sinuses (behind the nasal cavity and divided by the septum)

Question 16

What does the lesser wing of the sphenoid contribute to?

Answer 16

The optic canal

Orbit

Question 17

What does the optic canal contain?

Answer 17

The optic nerve and the infalmic? artery

Question 18

What does the greater of the sphenoid contribute to?

Answer 18

Orbit

Question 19

What are the pterygoid processes of the sphenoid?

Answer 19

Extensions of the basal surface of the body

Question 20

What is the sphenooccipital suture?

What happens to it when age?

Answer 20

The suture between the sphenoid bone and the occipital bone

Fuses at the age of 25

Question 21

What are the foramens of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone?

Answer 21

1) Foramen rotundum
2) Foramen ovale
3) Foramen spinosum
4) Foramen lacerum (medially)

Question 22

What passes through the foramen roundum?

Answer 22

The MAXILLARY nerve

Question 23

What passes through the foramen ovale?

Answer 23

The MANDUBULAR nerve

Accessory meningeal arteries

Question 24

What passes through the foramen spinosum?

Answer 24

The SPINOUS nerve

The middle meningeal vessels

Question 25

What passes through the foramne lacerum?

Answer 25

The artery and nerve of the pterygoid canal Some venous drainage

Question 26

What are the 3 main branches from the trigeminal nerve?

Answer 26

1) Optothalamic 2) Maxillary 3) Mandibular

Question 27

What are the holes that can be seen in the occular orbits from the front of the skull?

Answer 27

1) Superior orbital fissure 2) Inferior orbital fissure 3) Optic canal

Question 28

What is the superior orbital fissue?

Answer 28

Fissure that lies between the lesser and greater wings of the sphenoid bone

Question 29

What passes through the superior orbital fissue?

Answer 29

Many blood vessels and nerves: - Occulormotor nerve - Trochlear nerve - Abducens nerve - OPHTHALAMIC nerve branches - Opthalamic vein

Question 30

Where is the optic canal?

Answer 30

In the lesser wing of the sphenoid bone

Question 31

What passes through the optic canal?

Answer 31

The optic nerve The ophthalmic artery

Question 32

What is the sella turcica?

Answer 32

An indentation in the roof of the body of the sphenoid bone that houses the pituitary gland

Question 33

What is the carotid sulcus?

Answer 33

Groove in the sphenoid bone that houses the carotid artery

Question 34

What is the carotid canal? Where can it be seen?

Answer 34

Passageway into the TEMPORAL bone Can be seen: 1) From the underneath of the skull - in the temporal bone 2) From the internal skull - where the foramen lacerum is

Question 35

What is the chiamsmatic groove?

Answer 35

Connects the 2 optic canals Transmits the optic nerves

Question 36

Which foramen of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone cannot be seen from the underside of the skull?

Answer 36

The foramen rotundum