Cranial foramina
Last revised by Francis Deng ◉ on 5 Nov 2019
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Jones J, Deng F, Hacking C, et al. Cranial foramina. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 04 Oct 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-5809
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rID:
5809
Article created:
23 Mar 2009, Jeremy Jones ◉
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Jeremy Jones had no recorded disclosures.
View Jeremy Jones's current disclosuresLast revised:
5 Nov 2019, Francis Deng ◉
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Francis Deng had no recorded disclosures.
View Francis Deng's current disclosuresRevisions:
25 times, by 7 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
Synonyms:
- Cranial foramen
The cranial foramina are the holes that exist in the skull to allow the passage of structures into and out of the cranium. Some clefts/fissures, which are not entirely surrounded by bone, and canals, which are longer than their diameter, are often included in this category.
Most cranial foramina are at the base of skull:
-
frontal bone
- supraorbital foramen
- supratrochlear foramen
- foramen cecum (variable)
- ethmoid bone
-
sphenoid bone
- optic canal
- superior orbital fissure
- pterygoid (Vidian) canal
- foramen rotundum
- foramen ovale
- foramen spinosum
- foramen Vesalii (variable)
- foramen lacerum (with occipital and temporal bones)
-
temporal bone
- carotid canal
- jugular foramen (with occipital bone)
- internal auditory canal/meatus
- vestibular aqueduct
- cochlear aqueduct/canaliculus
- Dorello canal (with sphenoid bone)
- subarcuate (petromastoid) canal
- mastoid foramen (variable)
- stylomastoid foramen
- petrotympanic (Glaserian) fissure
- occipital bone
Additional cranial foramina include congenital calvarial defects, such as parietal foramen.
Other foramina in the skull are not strictly related to the cranium (bones surrounding the intracranial cavity) but rather to the bones of the face and jaw:
- multiple bones
- inferior orbital fissure (sphenoid, maxilla, palatine bone, zygoma)
- zygoma
- maxilla
- incisive foramen (or canals)
- infraorbital canal and foramen
- palatine bone
- sphenopalatine foramen (with sphenoid)
- palatovaginal canal (with sphenoid)
- greater palatine foramen
- lesser palatine foramina
- mandible
References
- 1. Gray's Anatomy 39th Edition, Elsevier
- 2. Schulte E. Thieme Atlas of Anatomy. Thieme Georg Verlag. (2007) ISBN:3131421010. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
Related articles: Anatomy: Head and neck
- skeleton of the head and neck
-
cranial vault
- scalp (mnemonic)
- fontanelle
-
sutures
- calvarial
- facial
- frontozygomatic suture
- frontomaxillary suture
- frontolacrimal suture
- frontonasal suture
- temporozygomatic suture
- zygomaticomaxillary suture
- parietotemporal suture (parietomastoid suture)
- occipitotemporal suture (occipitomastoid suture)
- sphenofrontal suture
- sphenozygomatic suture
- spheno-occipital suture (not a true suture)
- lacrimomaxillary suture
- nasomaxillary suture
- internasal suture
- basal/internal
- skull landmarks
- frontal bone
- temporal bone
- parietal bone
- occipital bone
- skull base (foramina)
-
facial bones
- midline single bones
- paired bilateral bones
- cervical spine
- hyoid bone
- laryngeal cartilages
-
cranial vault
- muscles of the head and neck
- muscles of the tongue (mnemonic)
- muscles of mastication
-
facial muscles
- epicranius muscle
- circumorbital and palpebral muscles
- nasal muscles
-
buccolabial muscles
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- levator labii superioris alaeque nasalis muscle
- levator labii superioris muscle
- zygomaticus major muscle
- zygomaticus minor muscle
- levator anguli oris muscle
- malaris muscle
- risorius muscle
- depressors, retractors and evertors of the lower lip
- depressor labii inferioris muscle
- depressor anguli oris muscle
- mentalis muscle
- compound sphincter
-
orbicularis oris muscle
- incisivus labii superioris muscle
- incisivus labii inferioris muscle
-
orbicularis oris muscle
- muscle of mastication
- modiolus
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- muscles of the middle ear
- orbital muscles
- muscles of the soft palate
- pharyngeal muscles
- suprahyoid muscles
- infrahyoid muscles
- intrinsic muscles of the larynx
- muscles of the neck
- platysma muscle
- longus colli muscle
- longus capitis muscle
- scalenus anterior muscle
- scalenus medius muscle
- scalenus posterior muscle
- scalenus pleuralis muscle
- sternocleidomastoid muscle
-
suboccipital muscles
- rectus capitis posterior major muscle
- rectus capitis posterior minor muscle
- obliquus capitis superior muscle
- obliquus capitis inferior muscle
- accessory muscles of the neck
- deep cervical fascia
-
deep spaces of the neck
- anterior cervical space
- buccal space
- carotid space
- danger space
- deep cervical fascia
- infratemporal fossa
- masticator space
- parapharyngeal space
- stylomandibular tunnel
- parotid space
- pharyngeal (superficial) mucosal space
- perivertebral space
- posterior cervical space
- pterygopalatine fossa
- retropharyngeal space
- suprasternal space (of Burns)
- visceral space
- surgical triangles of the neck
- orbit
- ear
- paranasal sinuses
- upper respiratory tract
- viscera of the neck
- blood supply of the head and neck
-
arterial supply
-
common carotid artery
- carotid body
- carotid bifurcation
- subclavian artery
- variants
-
common carotid artery
- venous drainage
-
arterial supply
- innervation of the head and neck
-
cranial nerves
- olfactory nerve (CN I)
- optic nerve (CN II)
- oculomotor nerve (CN III)
- trochlear nerve (CN IV)
-
trigeminal nerve (CN V) (mnemonic)
- trigeminal ganglion
- ophthalmic division
- maxillary division
- mandibular division
- abducens nerve (CN VI)
- facial nerve (CN VII)
-
vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
- vestibular ganglion (Scarpa's ganglion)
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
- vagus nerve (CN X)
- (spinal) accessory nerve (CN XI)
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
- parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck
- cervical sympathetic ganglia
- greater occipital nerve
- third occipital nerve
-
cervical plexus
- muscular branches
- longus capitis
- longus colli
- scalenes
- geniohyoid
- thyrohyoid
-
ansa cervicalis
- omohyoid (superior and inferior bellies separately)
- sternothyroid
- sternohyoid
- phrenic nerve
- contribution to the accessory nerve (CN XI)
- cutaneous branches
- muscular branches
- brachial plexus
- pharyngeal plexus
-
cranial nerves
- lymphatic drainage of the head and neck
- embryological development of the head and neck
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