Osteology of the Head and Neck Flashcards

1
Q

Where does movement occur in the skull?

A

the mandible at the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) & the atlanto-occipital joint

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2
Q

What is the function of the skull?

A

Protects the brain, brainstem, cranial nerves & associated blood vessels
Provides attachment for muscles Provides a framework for the head Gives us our identity as individuals…

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3
Q

What types of bones are in the skull?

A

flat and irregular bones
pneumatised bones

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4
Q

What type of osstification are flat smooth bones?

A

intramembranous

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5
Q

What type of ossification are irregular bones?

A

endochondral

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6
Q

What are pneumatised bones? What is the purpose of them?

What are examples?

A

Pneumatised bones: Bones with air spaces (air cells or sinuses) such as the frontal, temporal, sphenoid & ethmoid

Why? Reduce weight & add resonance to our voice

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7
Q

How many bones are in the skull?

A

total of 22 bones in the adult excluding the ossicles of the ear (28 with ossicles)

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8
Q

What is the neurocranium?

A

Bony case of the brain including cranial meninges with a dome-like roof (calvaria/skullcap) & a floor (cranial base/basicranium)

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9
Q

What is the viscerocranium?

A

(facial skeleton):
Anterior part of cranium that consists of bones surrounding the oral cavity, nasal cavity & most of the orbit

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10
Q

What are the bones of the neurocranium?

8 bones

A

Frontal
Parietal x2
Occipital
Sphenoid
Temporal x2
Ethmoid

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11
Q

What are the bones of the viscerocranium?

15

A

Ethmoid
Palatine x2
Lacrimal x2
Nasal x2
Zygomatic x2
Vomer
Inferior nasal concha x2
Maxilla x2
Mandible

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12
Q

What are the main features of the viscerocranium?

A

Zygomatic arch, mandible & infratemporal fossa

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13
Q

What are the main features of the neurocranium?

A

External acoustic meatus (opening), styloid & mastoid processes & temporal fossa

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14
Q

What is at the borders of the temporal fossa?

*including the floor

A

Superior & posterior borders: Superior & inferior temporal lines
Anterior border: Frontal process of zygomatic bone & zygomatic process of frontal bone
Inferior border: Infratemporal crest deep to zygomatic arch
Floor: Includes pterion

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15
Q

What is the pterion?

A

h-shaped junction of sutures
includes the frontal, parietal, temporal, & greater wing of sphenoid bone

thin and vulnerable

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16
Q

What does the pterion overlie?

A

anterior branch of the middle meningeal artery

trauma can lead to extradural (epidural) haematoma

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17
Q

Where is the surface anatomy of the pterion?

A

superior to midpoint of zygomatic arch & posterior to frontal process of zygomatic bone

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18
Q

What is the calvaria composed of?

4 bones

A

4 flat bones (2x parietal, single frontal & occipital) fused by the coronal, sagittal & lambdoid sutures

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19
Q

What is the bregma?

what is it in the neonate

A

the midline bony landmark where the coronal and sagittal sutures meet, between the frontal and two parietal bones. It is the anterior fontanelle in the neonate and closes in the second year

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20
Q

What are granular foveolae found in the calvaria?

what is their role?

A

Arachnoid granulations (return CSF to the venous circulation)

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21
Q

What are sutures and what is their movement?

A
  • Structurally, type of fibrous joint
  • Functionally, limited or no movement
    (synarthrosis)
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22
Q

What are fontanelles?

A
  • Moulding of cranial shape during birth
  • Post-natal growth of brain
  • Corners of frontal & parietal bones fuse by 18 months (anterior fontanelle not palpable)
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23
Q

What are flat bones seperated by?

A

by fibrous membranes that fuse in post-natal life (sutures)

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24
Q

What are the accessory/wormian/sutural bones?

which suture are they most commonly found in?

A
  • Small islands of bone may be seen within a cranial suture
  • Most commonly observed in the lambdoid suture
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25
Q

What are the exit points of CN V divisions?

A

supra-orbital notch (foramen)
infra-orbital foramen
mental foramen

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26
Q

What are craniometric points?

A

Craniometric points (CPs) are landmarks on the skull that are important in radiology and surgery

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27
Q

What are the craniometric points?

8

A

asterion
inion
lambda
vertex
bregma
pterion
glabella
nasion

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28
Q

What part of the palate is bony?

A

anterior 2/3

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29
Q

What part of the palate is soft?

A

posterior 1/3

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30
Q

Why are injections in the hard palate painful?

A

The hard palate mucosa is tightly bound to the underlying bone & submucous injections here are very painful

31
Q

Why does an injection into the gingiva of a tooth anesthestises the adjacent mucosa of the palate?

A

The superior lingual gingiva, the part of the gingiva covering the lingual surface of the teeth & the alveolar process of the maxilla, is continuous with the mucosa of the palate,

32
Q

What bones does the anterior cranial fossa have?

A

frontal, ethmoid and sphenoid

33
Q

Where is the anterior cranial fossa?

A

shallowest part of cranial base - occupied by frontal lobes

34
Q

What significance does the foramina of the cribiform plate hold?

A

Olfactory bulbs (CN I) receive nerve fibres from the nasal cavity via the foramina of the cribriform plate (olfaction)

35
Q

What can cribriform plate (of ethmoid bone) fractures present with?

A

CSF rhinorrhoea

36
Q

What bones does the middle cranial fossa house?

A
  • Sphenoid & temporal bones
  • Occupied by temporal lobes
37
Q

Where is the PG?

A

the pituitary gland lies in the hypophyseal (pituitary) fossa (deepest part of sella turcica)

38
Q

What is the PG surrounded by?

A

pituitary gland is surrounded by 4 clinoid processes & 2 superior projections (dorsum sellae posteriorly & tuberculum sellae anteriorly)

39
Q

What bones are in the posterior cranial fossa and what is it occupied by?

A
  • Sphenoid, occipital & temporal bones
  • Occupied by the cerebellum & medulla, & pons
40
Q

What does the foramen magnum house?

A

medulla oblongata (brainstem)

41
Q

What surrounds the infratemporal fossa?

laterally, medially, anteriorly, posteriorly, superiorly, inferiorly

A

Laterally: Ramus of the mandible
Medially: Lateral pterygoid plate of sphenoid bone
Anteriorly: Posterior aspect of maxilla
Posteriorly: Tympanic plate, mastoid & styloid processes
Superiorly: Infratemporal crest of sphenoid bone
Inferiorly: Angle of the mandible

42
Q

What does the infratemporal fossa communicate with?

A

communicates with the temporal fossa through the interval between (deep to) the zygomatic arch & (superficial to) the cranial bones

43
Q

Where does the pteryogopalatine fossa lie?

A

between the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone and the posterior aspect of the maxilla

44
Q

Where does the pterygomaxillary fissue lead?

A

leads to pterygopalatine fossa like a door

45
Q

What is medial to the pterygopalatine fossa?

what does the pterygopalatine fossa lead to?

A

sphenopalatine foramen

46
Q

What are noteable foramina in the anterior cranial fossa?

what do they containn?

A

cribriform foramina in cribriform plate - axons of olfactory cells in olfactory

47
Q

What are the noteable foramina in the middle cranial fossa?

A

optic canals
superior orbital fissure
foramen rotundum
foramen ovale
foramen spinosum
foramen lacerum

6

48
Q

What are the contents of the optic canals?

A

optic nerves (CNII) and ophthalmic arteries

49
Q

What are the contents of the superior orbital fissure?

A

ophthalmic veins, ophthalmic nerve (CNV1), CNIII, IV and VI and sympathetic fibres

50
Q

What are the contents of the foramen rotundum?

A

maxillary nerve (CNV2)

51
Q

What are the contents of the foramen ovale?

A

mandibular nerve (CNV3) and accessory meningeal artery

52
Q

What are the contents of the foramen spinosum?

A

middle meningeal artery and vein and meningeal branch of CNV3

53
Q

What are the contents of the foramen lacerum?

A

deep petrosal nerve and some meningeal arterial branches and small veins

54
Q

What are the noteable foramina of the posterior cranial fossa?

3

A

foramen magnum
jugular foramen
hypoglossal canal

55
Q

What are the contents of the foramen magnum?

A

medulla and meninges, vertebral arteries, CN XI, dural veins, anterior and posterior spinal arteries

56
Q

What are the contents of the jugular foramen?

A

CN IX, X and XI, superior bulb of internal jugular vein, inferior petrosal and sigmoid sinuses and meningeal branches of ascending pharyngeal and occipital arteries

57
Q

What are the contents of the hypoglossal canal?

A

hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)

58
Q

What is the cervical spine made of and what movement does it allow?

A
  • Concave posteriorly
  • 7 vertebrae
  • Allows lateral flexion
    & rotation
59
Q

What unique features do only cervical vertebrae have?

A

foramen transversarium

60
Q

What vertebrae are typical?

A

c3-c6

61
Q

What vertebrae are atypical?

A

c1, c2, c7

62
Q

What vertebrae have bifd spinous processes?

A

c2-c6

63
Q

Why is c1 atypical?

atlas

A

anterior & posterior arches, no body, no spinous process instead tubercle, facets articulate with occipital condyles of skull or dens)

64
Q

What are the joints of the cervical vertebrae?

A

lateral atlanto-axial joint
atlanto-occipital joint

65
Q

Why is c2 atypical?

axis

A

dens/odontoid process

66
Q

What does the lateral atlanto-axial joint and pivot joint of dens allow?

what ligament is it assisted by?

A

Allows rotation of head (side-to- side movements); assisted by transverse ligament of atlas holding dens in position

67
Q

What does the atlanto-occiptal joint allow?

A

Allows flexion & extension (nodding); between the occipital condyles of the skull; condyloid joint

68
Q

What is the role of alar ligaments?

A

prevent excessive rotation of head & neck, connect dens to occipital condyles

69
Q

What is between c1 and c2?

A

No intervertebral disc between C1 & C2!

70
Q

What is the highest point of the skull?

A

vertex

71
Q

What type of structural joints are sutures?

A

fibrous
syntharthosis

72
Q

What forms the pterion and why is it important clinically?

A

sqamous part of temporal
greater wing of sphenoid
parietal
frontal

Weakest Part of the Skull: It is considered the weakest part of the skull because it is where multiple bones meet and the skull is relatively thin

Middle Meningeal Artery: The anterior division of the middle meningeal artery runs beneath the pterion. A traumatic blow to this area can rupture the artery, leading to an epidural hematoma, a potentially life-threatening condition

73
Q

Alar ligament vs Transverse ligament

A

The alar ligament restrains rotation of the upper cervical spine, whereas the transverse ligament restricts flexion as well as anterior displacement of the atlas