Middle cranial fossa
Last revised by Tariq Walizai
on 8 Jul 2024
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Mudgal P, Walizai T, Chieng R, et al. Middle cranial fossa. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 13 Dec 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-28338
Permalink:
rID:
28338
Article created:
21 Mar 2014,
Prashant Mudgal
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Prashant Mudgal had no recorded disclosures.
View Prashant Mudgal's current disclosures
Last revised:
8 Jul 2024,
Tariq Walizai
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Tariq Walizai had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Tariq Walizai's current disclosures
Revisions:
13 times, by
11 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
Synonyms:
- Middle cranial fossa (MCF)
The middle cranial fossa is a butterfly-shaped depression of the skull base, which is narrow in the middle and wider laterally. It houses the temporal lobes of the cerebrum.
Gross anatomy
The middle cranial fossa can be divided into medial and lateral parts. In the medial part, the following structures are present from anterior to posterior 1:
anterior clinoid processes
middle clinoid process
carotid grooves (on either side of sella)
posterior clinoid processes
The lateral part is considerably deeper than the medial part to allow for the temporal lobes. Structures present in the lateral part from anterior to posterior are 1:
Boundaries
anterior: posterior margins of the lesser wings of the sphenoid bone; anterior clinoid processes; anterior margin of the chiasmatic groove 1
posterior: anterior surface of petrous temporal bones; dorsum sellae 1
lateral: squamous temporal bone; sphenoidal angles of the parietal bones; greater wings of the sphenoid bone 1
Quiz questions
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References
- 1. Bello H, Graves J, Rohatgi S et al. Skull Base–related Lesions at Routine Head CT from the Emergency Department: Pearls, Pitfalls, and Lessons Learned. Radiographics. 2019;39(4):1161-82. doi:10.1148/rg.2019180118 - Pubmed
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Cases:
- Meningioma - sphenoid wing
- Meningioma - sphenoid wing
- Middle cranial fossa rhabdomyosarcoma
- Sphenoid wing meningioma
- Sphenoid wing meningioma
- Arachnoid cyst
- Compressive arachnoid cyst - paediatric
- Ruptured middle cranial fossa arachnoid cyst with subdural hygroma
- En plaque meningioma with associated CPA / frontal convexity meningiomas
- En plaque meningioma - sphenoid wing
- Caroticocavernous fistula
- Middle cranial fossa arachnoid cyst - Galassi type II
- Medulloblastoma
Multiple choice questions:
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