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Anatomy of the Skull

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Note: Slide titles link to associated graphic slide pages.

Slide 1
Skull, top view demonstrating sagittal (1) and coronal (2) sutures.

Slide 2
Infant skull, back view demonstrating paired lambdoid sutures.

Slide 3
Infant skull, demonstrating bregmatic fontanelle.

Note arrow shape — thus sagittal, after Sagittarius the Archer.

Slide 4
Frontal view.

Slide 5
Lateral view.

Slide 6
Inferior View.

Slide 7
Cranial fossae

Anterior:

Middle:

Posterior:

Slide 8
Adult skull as seen from the front.

  1. Frontal bone
  2. Glabella
  3. Superciliary arch
  4. Supraorbital notch
  5. Supraorbital margin
  6. Zygomatic process of frontal bone
  7. Orbital plate of frontal bone
  8. Orbital surface of sphenoid bone
  9. Nasal bone
  10. Frontal process of maxilla
  11. Superior orbital fissure
  12. Optic canal
  13. Zygomatic bone
  14. Infraorbital foramen
  15. Nasal septum
  16. Nasal cavity
  17. Canine fossa of maxilla
  18. Inferior nasal concha
  19. Anterior nasal spine
  20. Bodies of maxillae
  21. Oblique line of mandible
  22. Mental foramen
  23. Body of mandible
  24. Mental protuberance

Slide 9
Adult skull as seen from the side.

  1. Frontal bone
  2. Superciliary arch
  3. Greater wing of sphenoid bone
  4. Nasal bone
  5. Lacrimal bone
  6. Lacrimal groove
  7. Zygomatic bone
  8. Nasal notch
  9. Anterior nasal spine
  10. Mandibular notch
  11. Body of maxilla
  12. Coronoid process
  13. Alveolar part of mandible
  14. Oblique line of mandible
  15. Mental foramen
  16. Mental protuberance
  17. Body of mandible
  18. Angle of mandible
  19. Coronal suture
  20. Superior temporal line
  21. Parietal bone
  22. Squamosal suture
  23. Temporal bone
  24. Zygomatic arch
  25. External auditory meatus
  26. Condylar process
  27. Occipital bone
  28. Mastoid process of temporal bone
  29. Styloid process of temporal bone
  30. Ramus of mandible

Slide 10
Adult skull as seen from beneath.

  1. Incisive foramen
  2. Median palatine suture
  3. Palatine process of maxilla
  4. Zygomatic process of maxilla
  5. Lesser palatine foramen
  6. Greater palatine foramen
  7. Zygomatic arch
  8. Greater wing of sphenoid
  9. Horizontal part of palatine bone
  10. Posterior nasal spine
  11. Lateral pterygoid plate
  12. Vomer bone
  13. Foramen ovale
  14. Mandibular fossa
  15. External auditory meatus
  16. Styloid process of temporal bone
  17. Stylomastoid foramen
  18. Jugular fossa
  19. Foramen lacerum
  20. Basilar part of sphenoid bone
  21. Condylar fossa
  22. Occipital condyle
  23. Foramen magnum (PNS)
  24. Inferior nuchal line
  25. Carotid canal
  26. Spine of sphenoid
  27. Foramen spinosum

Slide 11
Adult skull, demonstrating cranial fossae — anterior (A), middle (M), posterior (P).

  1. Crista galli (Ethmoid bone)
  2. Frontal crest
  3. Optic canal (foramen)
  4. Lesser wing of sphenoid
  5. Greater wing of sphenoid
  6. Chiasmatic sulcus
  7. Anterior clinoid process
  8. Hypophyseal fossa
  9. Foramen oval
  10. Foramen spinosum
  11. Carotid canal
  12. Jugum of sphenoid
  13. Posterior clinoid process

Slide 12
Mandible, lateral view.

  1. Body of mandible
  2. Coronoid process
  3. Mandibular notch
  4. Head of condylar process
  5. Ramus of mandible
  6. Angle of mandible
  7. Oblique line
  8. Mental foramen
  9. Mental protuberance

Slide 13
Mandible, top view.

  1. Condylar process
  2. Mandibular notch
  3. Pterygoid fovea
  4. Mandibular foramen
  5. Coronoid process
  6. Interosseous eruption of the 3rd molar
  7. 2nd molar
  8. 1st molar
  9. 2nd premolar
  10. 1st premolar
  11. Canine
  12. Lateral incisor
  13. Central incisor

Slide 14
Mandible, frontal view.

  1. Coronoid process
  2. Condylar process
  3. Ramus of mandible
  4. Body of mandible
  5. Alveolar part
  6. Mental protuberance
  7. Mental tubercle
  8. Mental foramen
  9. Oblique line

Slide 15
Mandible, posterior view.

  1. Condylar process
  2. Coronoid process
  3. Ramus of mandible
  4. Mandibular lingula
  5. Mandibular foramen
  6. Mylohyoid groove
  7. Mylohyoid line
  8. Sublingual fovea
  9. Mental spine
  10. Digastric fovea
  11. Alveolar part
  12. Angle of mandiblea

Slide 16
The maxillae (blue) and zygomatic bones (yellow) as seen from the front.

Slide 17
The maxillae (blue) and zygomatic bones (yellow) as seen from the side.

Slide 18
The maxillae (blue) and zygomatic bones (yellow) as seen from beneath.

Slide 19
Juxtaposed maxillae and zygomatic bones as seen from the front.

  1. Nasal margin
  2. Frontal margin
  3. Frontal process
  4. Orbital process
  5. Infraorbital sulcus
  6. Zygomatic bone
  7. Infraorbital foramen
  8. Body of maxilla
  9. Alveolar process of body
  10. Anterior (facial) surface
  11. Canine fossa
  12. Canine eminence
  13. Median palatine suture
  14. Nasal crest
  15. Nasal notch

Slide 20
Juxtaposed maxillae and zygomatic (Z) and palatine (P) bones, as seen from above.

  1. Frontal process
  2. Anterior nasal spine
  3. Orbital process
  4. Zygomaticomaxillary suture
  5. Zygomatic bone
  6. Nasal crest and intermaxillary suture
  7. Palatine process
  8. Posterior nasal spine
  9. Horizontal part of palatine bone

Slide 21
Juxtaposed maxillae, with zygomatic and palatine bones, as seen from behind.

  1. Frontal process
  2. Nasal crest and intermaxillary suture
  3. Palatine process of maxilla
  4. Horizontal part of palatine bone
  5. Maxillary tuberosity

Slide 22
Juxtaposed maxillae, with zygomatic and palatine bones, as seen from beneath.

  1. Central incisor
  2. Lateral incisor
  3. Canine
  4. 1st premolar
  5. 2nd premolar
  6. 1st molar
  7. 2nd molar
  8. Incisive foramen
  9. Intermaxillary suture
  10. Palatine process of maxilla
  11. Horizontal part of palatine bone
  12. Greater palatine foramen
  13. Lesser palatine foramen
  14. Posterior nasal spine
  15. Transverse maxillo-palatine suture

Slide 23
Maxilla, lateral view.

  1. Frontal process
  2. Lacrimal margin
  3. Infraorbital margin
  4. Nasal notch
  5. Anterior nasal spine (ANS)
  6. Zygomatic process
  7. Canine eminence
  8. Alveolar process
  9. Infraorbital sulcus
  10. Orbital surface

Slide 24
Maxilla, medial view demonstrating antrum (A).

  1. Frontal process
  2. Nasal notch
  3. Anterior nasal spine
  4. Incisive canal
  5. Alveolar process
  6. Palatine process

Slide 25
Buttresses shown by arrows.

Slide 26
Nasal cavity — section is dorsal to orbit.

  1. Anterior cranial cavity
  2. Nasal cavity
  3. Inferior concha
  4. Inferior meatus
  5. Middle meatus
  6. Middle concha
  7. Nasal septum

Slide 27
Juxtaposed nasal bones.

  1. Frontal margin
  2. Nasal foramen
  3. Internasal suture
  4. Maxillary margin

Slide 28
Palatine bone — lateral view.

Slide 29
Palatine bone as seen from behind.

Slide 30
Palatine bone as seen from the front.

Slide 31
Lateral view of vomer bone.

Slide 32
Lateral wall of nasal cavity, showing relationship of inferior nasal concha to adjuacent structures.
Also shown are the perpendicular part of the palatine (palat) bone, and the hard palate (shaded).

* From Eileen and W. Zemlin, Study Guide/Workbook to Accompany Speech and Hearing Science, 4th ed., 1997, Stipes Publishing Co..

Slide 33
Cranial fossae

Slide 34
Ethmoid bone as seen from the front.

  1. Crista galli
  2. Orbital surface
  3. Perpendicular plate
  4. Middle concha

Slide 35
Ethmoid bone as seen from above.

  1. Ethmoid sinuses
  2. Cribriform plate
  3. Crista galli

Slide 36
Ethmoid bone as seen from the side.

  1. Crista galli
  2. Orbital surface
  3. Perpendicular plate
  4. Middle concha

Slide 37
Green — frontal bone.

Slide 38
Frontal bone as seen from the front.

  1. Sqamous portion
  2. Frontal eminence
  3. Temporal fossa
  4. Temporal line
  5. Zygomatic process
  6. Supraorbital notch
  7. Superciliary arch
  8. Glabella
  9. Frontal spine

Slide 39
Frontal bone as seen from beneath.

  1. Glabella
  2. Supraorbital margin
  3. Orbital portion
  4. Ethmoidal notch
  5. Lacrimal gland fossa
  6. Zygomatic process
  7. Supraorbital notch (or foramen)

Slide 40
Articulated frontal zygomatic, parietal, maxillary, and palatine bones.

Parietal landmarks:

  1. Occipital margin
  2. Mastoid margin
  3. Squamosal margin
  4. Temporal lines
  5. Frontal, margin
  6. Frontal, angle
  7. Parietal eminence

Slide 41
Green — occipital bone

Slide 42
Occipital bone from beneath.

  1. Nuchal lines
  2. Condylar canal
  3. Condylar hypoglossal canal
  4. Jugular process of lateral portion
  5. Foramen magnum
  6. Basilar portion
  7. Occipital condyle

Slide 43
Occipital bone — inner surface

  1. Parietal margin
  2. Cerebellar fossa
  3. Internal occipital crest
  4. Internal occipital protuberance
  5. Foramen magnum
  6. Hypoglossal canal

Slide 44
Red — temporal bone

Slide 45
Red — temporal bone

Slide 46
Red — temporal bone

Slide 47
Temporal bone — lateral aspect

  1. Squamous portion
  2. Parietal margin
  3. Occipital margin
  4. Mastoid process
  5. Sphenoid margin
  6. Zygomatic process
  7. Tubercle of zygoma
  8. Mandibular fossa
  9. Postglenoid tubercle
  10. Tympanic part
  11. External auditory meatus
  12. Zygomatic bone

Slide 48
Temporal bone — inner aspect

  1. Cerebral surface
  2. Arterial sulcus
  3. Squamous portion
  4. Parietal margin
  5. Parietal incisure
  6. Arcuate eminence
  7. Mastoid foramen
  8. Internal auditory meatus
  9. Apex of petrous portion (notch)
  10. Sphenoid margin

Slide 49
Section through mastoid process of temporal bone, demonstrating pneumatization (development of air cells.)

  1. Middle ear cavity
  2. Oval window
  3. Promontory
  4. Cochleariform (trochleariform) process
  5. Auditory (Eustachian) tube

Slide 50
Detail, middle ear cavity.

  1. Oval window
  2. Cochleariform process
  3. Canal for tensor tympanic muscle
  4. Septum canalis musculotubarius
  5. Auditory
  6. (Eustachian) tube
  7. Carotid canal
  8. Promontory
  9. Epitympanic recess
  10. Mastoid air cells
  11. Round window

Slide 51
Pink — sphenoid bone

Slide 52
Pink — sphenoid bone

Slide 53
Pink — sphenoid bone

Slide 54
Sphenoid bone from above.

  1. Ethmoidal spine
  2. Chiasmatic sulcus
  3. Optic canal
  4. Frontal margin (greater wing)
  5. Cerebral surface
  6. Superior orbital fissure
  7. Posterior clinoid process
  8. Foramen rotundum
  9. Squamous (temporal) margin
  10. Foramen ovale
  11. Sphenoidal spine
  12. Petrous (temporal) margin
  13. Hypophyseal fossa
  14. Clivus (of corpus)
  15. Hamulus (medial pterygoid plate)
  16. Carotid sulcus
  17. Anterior clinoid process
  18. Lesser wing
  19. Jugum of sphenoid

Slide 55
Sphenoid bone from beneath.

  1. Crest
  2. Optic canal
  3. Superior orbital fissure
  4. Parietal margin
  5. Squamous margin
  6. Foramen ovale
  7. Lateral pterygoid plate
  8. Medial pterygoid plate
  9. Rostrum
  10. Vomerovaginal sulcus
  11. Hamulus
  12. Spine of sphenoid
  13. Infratemporal fossa
  14. Zygomatic margin
  15. Frontal margin

Slide 56
Sphenoid bone from the front.

  1. Dorsum sellae
  2. Sphenoid sinus
  3. Orbital surface
  4. Temporal surface (greater wing)
  5. Foramen rotundum
  6. Pterygoid canal
  7. Lateral pterygoid lamina
  8. Medial pterygoid lamina
  9. Hamulus
  10. Rostrum and crest
  11. Pterygoid notch
  12. Spine of sphenoid
  13. Zygomatic margin

Slide 57
Sphenoid from behind.

  1. Dorsum sellae
  2. Posterior clinoid process
  3. Superior orbital fissure
  4. Lesser wing
  5. Parietal margin
  6. Carotid sulcus
  7. Spine
  8. Pterygoid notch
  9. Hamulus
  10. Basilar surface

Slide 58
Skull, frontal view (same landmarks to be identified as in slide number 8.)

Slide 59
Skull, side view (same landmarks to be identified as in slide number 9.)

Slide 60
Skull from beneath (same landmarks to be identified as in slide number 10.)

Slide 61
Skull — crainial floor (same landmarks to be identified as in slide number 11.)