The Skull Flashcards
How many bones make up the skull?
What types of joints connect these bones?
22 bones
These are connected by fibrous sutures - a type of joint that is not moveable
The temporomandibular joints are synovial and moveable
Label the visible bones of the skull
What 2 bones make up the nasal septum?
ethmoid and vomer
Why is there only an inferior nasal concha?
The superior and middle conchae are part of the ethmoid bone
What are the 4 paranasal sinuses?
- Frontal sinuses
- Ethmoidal cells
- Maxillary sinuses
- Sphenoidal sinus
Label the paranasal sinuses
What are the functions of the paranasal sinuses?
- To lighten the weight of the skull
- Drainage into specific areas of the nasal cavity
- Humidify the air
What are the meatuses?
what drains into them?
an opening for the passage of air, located underneath the corresponding concha
superior meatus:
- ethmoidal and sphenoidal sinuses drain here
middle meatus:
- maxillary and frontal sinuses drain here
inferior meatus:
- nasolacrimal duct drains here
Label the bones of the skull from a lateral view
Label the important features of the skull
What is significant about the mastoid process?
It is a site for muscle attachment
the sternocleidomastoid muscle attaches here
What is the pterion?
why is it clinically significant?
The area where the following bones meet:
- Frontal
- Temporal
- Sphenoid
- Parietal
The skull is particularly thin at this point and it overlies the middle meningeal artery
What can a fracture of the pterion lead to?
fracture here can lacerate the middle meningeal artery (anterior branch), resulting in a extradural haematoma.
Label the bones and sutures of the posterior skull
Sagittal suture:
- Between the 2 parietal bones of the skull
Lambdoid suture:
- connects parietal bones with occipital bone
What are some significant differences in the skull of a newborn?
The bones have not properly fused together
the spaces between them are fontanelles
What is the purpose of fontanelles?
They allow for growth of the brain after birth
they allow for the skull to deform during birth
Why is there no mastoid process on the newborn skull?
The mastoid process develops as the sternocleidomastoid muscle develops and begins to be used
Label the following fossae and features of the skull
Which cranial nerves pass through the structures listed?
What are the contents of the 3 cranial fossae?
Anterior cranial fossa:
- Frontal lobe
Middle cranial fossa:
- Temporal lobe
Posterior cranial fossa:
- cerebellum and brainstem
Label the following features of the skull
Which bones make up the hard palate?
maxilla and palatine bones
