Skull and Meninges Flashcards
Where is the nasion on the skull?
The depression where the nasal and frontal bones meet
Where is the bregma on the skull?
The location where the coronal and sagittal sutures meet
Where is the lambda on the skull?
The location where the occipital and parietal bones meet
Where is the pterion on the skull and what is its clinical significance?
The union of the frontal, parietal, sphenoid, and temporal bones; it marks the pathway of the middle meningeal artery
Where is the asterion on the skull and what region does it mark?
It is the union of the squamosal, lambdoid, and occipitomastoid sutures; marks the location of the transverse sinus
What structures run through the foramen magnum?
Spinal cord, vertebral artery, CN XI
What structures run though the foramen ovale?
Mandibular nerve, ascending meningeal artery, lesser petrosal nerve
What structures run through the foramen rotundum?
Maxillary nerve
What structure runs through the foramen spinosum
Middle meningeal artery
What structure runs through the stylomastoid foramen?
Facial nerve
What structures run through the jugular foramen?
CN IX, CN X, CN XI, internal jugular vein
What is the pathway of the internal carotid artery?
Entry into skull=carotid canal; entry into cranium=foramen lacerum
What are the borders of the anterior cranial fossa?
Everything between the lesser wing of the sphenoid and the front of the skull
What are the borders of the middle cranial fossa?
The region over the sphenoid bone
What are the borders of the posterior cranial fossa?
Everything behind the sphenoid bone
By what mechanism does the calavaria calcify? By what mechanism does the cranial base calcify?
1) Intramembranous
2) Endochondrial
What are the three layers of the meninges and what are the sublayers of the most superficial layer?
1) Dura mater – periosteum and meningeal layers
2) Arachnoid mater (thin)
3) Pia mater (vascular)
What are the four main dural infoldings and what do they separate?
1) Cerebral falx–separates the cerebral hemispheres
2) Cerebellar tentatorium–separates the cerebrum from the cerebellum
3) Cerebellar falx–separates the cerebellar hemispheres
4) Sellar diaphragm–separates pituitary gland
