Neuroanatomy - The Skull and Foramina Flashcards
What bones is the calvarium comprised of?
The frontal, occipital and parietal bones
What are the 8 cranial nerve foramina?
Cribiform plate Optic canal Superior orbital fissure Foramen rotundum Foramen ovale Internal acoustic meatus Jugular foramen Hypoglossal canal
The superior orbital fissure enables communication of which two structures?
Cavernous sinus and the apex of the orbit
What does the foramen rotundum provide a connection between?
The middle cranial fossa and the pterygopalatine fossa
Which two structures does the internal acoustic meatus connect to each other?
The posterior cranial fossa and the inner ear
What are sutures?
Fibrous joints that are immovable and fuse completely around the age of 20
What is the clinical importance of sutures?
They are potential points of weakness
What are fontanelles?
Membranous gaps caused by incompletely fused suture joints
What are the three sutures?
Coronal suture, sagittal suture and the lambdoid suture
What are the two fontanelles?
The frontal fontanelle and the occipital fontanelle
What are the differences between male and female skulls?
- Females have more rounded forehead, male forehead slopes back at a greater angle
- Males have a more prominent supraorbital ridge
- Females have rounder eye sockets
- Females have a pointed chin and a sloping angle of the jaw. Males have a square chin with a more vertical angle of the jaw
What are he differences between infant and adult skulls?
- Sutures not completely fused to allow room for brain to grow and for childbirth
- Infant has little to no paranasal sinuses
- Infants have a frontal suture
What are the fontanelles seen in infants?
Sphenoidal, mastoid, anterior and posterior
