The Cranium, Meninges & Venous Sinuses Flashcards
Bones of the skull vault
Unpaired:
- Frontal
- Ethmoid
- Sphenoid
- Occipital
Paired:
- Temporal
- Parietal
Features of the Frontal Bone
- Supra-orbital notches
- Superior cilliary ridges
- Air sinuses (initially 2 parts, fuse in early life)
Parts of the Sphenoid Bone
- Greater & lesser wings
- Medial & lateral pterygoid plates
Features of the sphenoid bone
- Sella turcica (contains pituitary)
- Foramina:
- Optical canals
- Superior orbital fissures
- Rotundum
- Ovale
- Spinosum
Parts of the Temporal Bone
- Squamous
- Petromastoid
- Tympanic
- Styloid process
Features of the petromastoid part of the temporal bone
- Middle & inner ear
- Internal auditory meatus
- Facial canal
- Air cells (in mastoid process)
Features of squamous part of the temporal bone
- Zygomatic process
- Mandibular fossa
Features of tympanic part of the temporal bone
- External auditory meatus
- Acts as attachment for tympanic membrane
Features of the styloid process
- Attachment for ligaments and muscles
NB: CN VII emerges from the adjacent stylomastoid foramen
Features of the parietal bone
- Foramina for emissary veins
- Connect scalp veins → dural sinuses
Parts of the occipital bone
- Squamous
- Basal
Features of the occipital bone
- Superior nuchal line
- Occipital protuberance
- Occipital condyles
- Foramen magnum
- Hypoglossal canals
Discuss fractures of the skull vault
Fractures heal with fibrous tissue which may not ossify, leaving fracture lines visible on x-ray
Discuss cranial suture size and the clincal relevance
Growth of cranial suture is the result of intracranial pressure i.e. NOT genetically controlled
Clinical relevance:
- Low IC pressure = microencephaly
- High IC pressure = hydrocephaly
NB: pterion = meeting of sutures of sphenoid (greater wing), temporal, parietal & frontal bones
- A: Crista Galli
- B: Hypoglossal Canal (CN XII)
- C: Foramen Ovale (CN Vc)
- D: Foramina for Olfactory Nerves (CN I)
- E: Internal Auditory Meatus (CN VII & VIII)
- F: Optic Canal (CN II)
- G: Foramen Rotundum (Vb)
- H: Jugular Foramen (CN IX, X, XI)
- I: Superior Orbital Fissure (CN III, IV, Va & VI)
- J: Foramen Lacerum
- K: Foramen Spinosum: