Chapter 17 - Skull Flashcards
skull
The skull consists of 22 bones. It is divided into the cranium, which protects the brain, and the facial bones, which provide the facial structure.
calvaria
The portion of the cranium on which the base of the brain rests is the floor and the remainder that surrounds the brain
The cranium consists of eight bones:
frontal, occipital, right and left parietal, right and left temporal, sphenoid, and ethmoid
glabella
The bony prominence on the frontal bone between the eyebrows is a palpable positioning landmark
external occipital protuberance
The occipital bone is at the lower part of the back of the skull and also forms the posterior portion of the cranial floor or base. In the approximate center on the outer surface of the occipital bone is a palpable bony prominence
foramen magnum
The large round hole in the anterior portion of the occipital bone. It is the passage for the spinal cord between the skull and the spine.
sella turcica
The rounded fossa in the center of the anterosuperior surface of the sphenoid bone, is the location of the pituitary gland.
external auditory meatus, also called the external acoustic meatus
The EAM is the opening to the ear canal and is an important positioning landmark.
petrous portion
Extending medially from the EAM area is a dense pyramid of bone, which contains the middle and inner ear structures.
mastoid portion of the temporal bone
contains many small air cells, and the mastoid process is palpable just posterior to the earlobe.
zygomatic arch
zygomatic process articulates anteriorly with the zygomatic (cheek) bone to form the zygomatic arch.
sutures
The joints that connect the bones of the cranium are synarthrodial (immovable) joints
sagittal suture
The parietal bones are joined
coronal suture
Between the frontal bone and the parietal bones
lambdoidal suture
Between the parietal bones and the occipital bone
squamosal suture
The joint that joins the parietal and temporal bones
The palpable bones of the face include
the maxilla, mandible (jaw), zygomas (cheek bones), and nasal bones
maxilla
The maxilla is the largest immovable bone of the face and articulates with all of the other facial bones except the mandible.
acanthion
This point, located at the junction of the nose and the upper lip, is a positioning landmark
mandible
The mandible, or jaw, is the only movable bone of the face.
mental protuberance or mental point
The prominence in the center of the mandible’s lower margin
gonion
the angle of the mandible, and is a common positioning landmark.
temporomandibular joint
The formation of the rounded projection on the superoposterior ramus, the mandibular condyle, articulates with the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone
Seven small bones of the bony structure of the face:
the vomer, two palatine bones, two inferior nasal conchae, and two lacrimal bones.