Mastoid air cells
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Knipe H, Chieng R, Hacking C, et al. Mastoid air cells. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 16 Jan 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-28366
Permalink:
rID:
28366
Article created:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Henry Knipe had no recorded disclosures.
View Henry Knipe's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Raymond Chieng had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Raymond Chieng's current disclosures
Revisions:
8 times, by
6 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
Tags:
Synonyms:
- Cellulae mastoidae
- Mastoid sinus
- Mastoid sinuses
The mastoid air cells (cellulae mastoideae) represent the pneumatization of the mastoid part of the temporal bone and are of variable size and extent.
On this page:
Gross anatomy
At the superior and anterior part of the mastoid process the air cells are large and irregular and contain air, but toward the inferior part they diminish in size, while those at the apex of the process are frequently quite small and contain marrow. Occasionally, they are entirely absent.
Mastoid air cells communicate with the middle ear via the mastoid antrum and the aditus ad antrum.
The mastoid air cells are traversed by the Koerner septum, a thin bony structure formed by the petrosquamous suture that extends posteriorly from the epitympanum, separating the mastoid air cells into medial and lateral compartments.
Development
Mastoid process develops at birth, from petromastoid part of temporal bone and fused with squamozygomatic part and tympanic part of the temporal bone. The growth of mastoid process accelerates between age two to five, and completes by age six 5.
Pneumatization of mastoid process begins at infancy, and completes at the age of six 5.
Related pathology
See also
References
- 1. Temporal Bone Imaging. Thieme. ISBN:1588904016. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Gray H. Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th edition. (1918) ISBN:1587341026. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Snell RS. Clinical Anatomy by Regions. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN:160913446X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 4. Amy F. Juliano, Daniel T. Ginat, Gul Moonis. Imaging Review of the Temporal Bone: Part I. Anatomy and Inflammatory and Neoplastic Processes. (2013) Radiology. 269 (1): 17-33. doi:10.1148/radiol.13120733 - Pubmed
- 5. Schillinger R. Pneumatization of the Mastoid. Radiology. 1939;33(1):54-67. doi:10.1148/33.1.54
Incoming Links
Articles:
- Bezold abscess
- Mastoid part of temporal bone
- Koerner septum
- Squamous part of temporal bone
- Nervus spinosus
- Adnexa (disambiguation)
- Middle ear effusion
- Temporal bone (modified Stenvers view)
- Epitympanum
- Automastoidectomy
- Parotid gland
- Sigmoid sinus diverticulum
- Middle ear
- Subperiosteal abscess of the mastoid
- Eustachian tube dysfunction
- Acute mastoiditis
- Skull fractures
- Tegmen
- Pott puffy tumor
- Drowning (postmortem findings)
Cases:
- Hypopneumatisation of the mastoid air cells
- Cerebral venous thrombosis
- Hair on end sign
- Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma
- Cervical dural arteriovenous fistula
- Perilymphatic fistula
- Bilateral dacryocystitis and dacryocystocele
- Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
- Cholesteatoma
- Mastoid osteoma
- Complications of otitis media
- Arrested pneumatization of the sphenoid sinus
- Automastoidectomy with labyrinthine fistula
- Central neurocytoma
- Cholesteatoma - external auditory canal
- Acute mastoiditis with retroauricular abscess
- Mastoid series - normal
- Calvarial thickening from chronic shunting
- Otosclerosis
- Chronic otomastoiditis
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
Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.