University Of Basra
College Of Medicine
Department Of Human Anatomy
Bones of skull
Bones Of Skull
Skull is composed of several bones united at Function:
immobile joints called sutures( except mandible 1) Protects the brain, meninges, and cerebral vasculature.
united with skull by the mobile temporomandibular 2) Supports the soft tissues of the face.
joint). 3) It fuse to house the orbits, nasal, and oral cavities.
Bones of the skull can be divided into two groups
1. Cranium or Neurocranium or Cranial Bones
When fused they protect the brain, meninges, and cerebral
vasculature and it constitutes the superior part of skull.
It consists of 8 bones:
1. frontal bone: single
2. occipital bone: single
1 6
3. sphenoid bone: single
4. ethmoid bone: single
5. temporal bones: paired 3 5
2
6. parietal bones: paired
4
Cranium Or Neurocranium
Anatomically, the cranium can be subdivided into:
1) Cranial roof (Calvarium or Cranial Vault): composed of
frontal, occipital and two parietal bones.
2) Cranial base : composed of 6 bones: frontal, sphenoid,
ethmoid, occipital, parietal and temporal. these bones
articulate with the 1st cervical vertebra (atlas), facial bones,
and mandible .
The cranial bones articulate with facial bones, mandible
and the 1st cervical vertebra (atlas)
Bones of the skull can be divided into two groups
2. Face or Viscerocranium or Facial bones
They Support face and house orbits, nasal, and oral cavities
It consists of 14 bones:
1. zygomatic bones: paired
2. maxillae: paired
3. nasal bones: paired
4. lacrimal bones: paired
5. palatine bones: paired
6. inferior conchae: paired
7. vomer: single
8. mandible: single
Cranial Sutures
Are type of fibrous joints, they allow slight movement of bones
during labor and allow the skull to grow as the baby's brain grows
but they fuse completely around the age of 20 and be immovable.
The main sutures in the skull are:
1) coronal suture – between frontal bone and two parietal bones.
Frontal
2) sagittal suture – between two parietal bones.
3) lambdoid suture – between occipital bone to two parietal bones.
4) squamous suture -between temporal and parietal bones
Sutures Of The Skull
Lambda – is point of convergence of sagittal and lambdoid
5)Metopic sutures (Frontal Suture ) - it presents in a
suture
neonatal skull. It is a vertical joint that separates the two
Bregma - is point of convergence of sagittal and coronal
frontal bones at birth sutures
Sutures Of The Skull
Pterion - is a point of convergence of sutures between the Asterion -is a point of convergence of sutures between occipital
bone, temporal bone, and parietal bone
frontal, sphenoid, parietal, and temporal bones.
Parietal
Frontal
Ethmoid
Temporal
Zygoma Nasal
Occipital Maxilla
Mandible
Frontal Bone
It's located in forehead region, so it creates curvature
of forehead, and it participates in the formation of the
roof of orbital cavity & floor of anterior cranial fossa.
Articulation: 7
2
1. lacrimal bone 6
3 1
1
2. nasal bone 5 4
3. ethmoid bone
4. maxilla
5. zygomatic bone
6. sphenoid bone
7. parietal bones
Landmarks of Frontal Bone
Squamous part forms the largest part, the bone has two surfaces:
External surface :
1. Supraorbital margin
2. Supraciliary arch is a curved elevation above the supraorbital margin
3. Glabella is a prominence located between the two arches.
2
4. Supraorbital notch or supraorbital foramina ,where the supraorbital 3
vessels and nerve pass through.
1
5. Zygomatic processes arise from squamous part and articulate with 5 6
zygomatic bones. 4
6. Maxillary processes arise from squamous part and articulate with
maxilla.
7. Frontal air sinuses - just above the orbital margins communicate with
nose and serve as voice resonators
8. Orbital plates of frontal bone forms roof of the orbit 9 7 7
8
9. Lacrimal fossa for lacrimal gland presents in lateral portion of the
orbital plate
Landmarks of Frontal Bone
Internal surface:
1. Frontal crest: is a ridge located in the midline.
2. Foramen cecum are two small foramina situated on
each side of the posterior end of frontal crest.
1
3. Orbital plates of frontal bone
Parietal Bones
Form sides and roof of the cranium (bulk of calvaria)
Frontal
Articulation:
3 Parietal
1) At sagittal suture: articulate with each other in 1 Frontal
Parietal Parietal
midline.
4 5
2) At lambdoid suture: articulate with occipital bone 2
Lacrimal
3) At coronal suture: articulate with frontal bone
Nasal Zygoma
4) Sphenoid bone
Maxilla
5) At squamous suture: articulate with temporal bone
Landmarks of Parietal Bones
External surface :
1. Parietal foramina
2. Superior and inferior temporal lines: gives origin
to temporalis muscle
1
3. Parietal eminence
Landmarks of Parietal Bones
Internal surface:
1. Grooves for middle meningeal artery
2. Groove for superior sagittal sinus
3. Granular foveolae: a small pit lies on each side of
3 1
the groove of superior sagittal sinus.
2
Temporal Bones
They contribute lower lateral walls of skull. They contain middle and
inner portions of the ear.
Parietal
Each bone consisted of five parts: Frontal
[Link]: is the largest part, It is flat like a plate
Temporal
2. Tympanic: lie inferiorly to squamous, it surrounds external auditory 1
meatus of external ear.
4
zygoma
[Link]: has a mastoid process (an inferior projection of bone
Mastoid process
Maxilla
palpable just behind the ear.
4. Zygomatic process: it is a bonny projection arises anteriorly
External auditory meatus
articulating with temporal process of zygomatic bone; these two
processes form zygomatic arch.
Landmarks of Temporal Bones
5. Petrous: is internal part, pyramidal in shaped, it contains
the inner ear .
Petrous part contains 2 foramina ; anterior one named as
internal auditory meatus
carotid canal ( internal carotid artery pass through) while 5
posterior one is internal auditory meatus.
Also, there is a
1. Styloid process: located immediately underneath the
opening of external auditory meatus.
2 Carotid canal
2. Mandibular fossa: a small fossa lie inferiorly in temporal
bone for articulation with mandible . 1
Occipital Bones
Is a single triangular bone which
parietal
parietal
articulated with sphenoid, parietal,
temporal bones and with the 1st cervical
occipital
vertebra.
The important landmarks is foramina
Atlas
magnum which site for spinal cord passage.
it has 3 parts:
A) Basilar part: lie anterior to foramina sphenoid
sphenoid
temporal 2
magnum; it contains: 1 temporal
1. Clivus : lies superiorly
occipital
occipital
2. Pharyngeal tubercle: lies inferiorly
Landmarks of Occipital Bones
B) Condylar parts: lie lateral to foramina magnum, it has C) Squamous part: it is a largest part contains external and internal
surfaces:
1 ) occipital condyles Internal surface:
2 ) condylar fossa and canal (blue) 1. internal occipital protuberance
3 ) hypoglossal canal ( red ) 2. internal occipital crest
3. groove for transverse venous sinus
4. groove for superior sagittal sinus
INTERNAL OCCIPITAL
PROTUBERANCE
1
3
2
Foramina
magnum
Landmarks of Occipital Bones
External surface:
1. external occipital protuberance and ( Inion is the highest
tip of that protuberance )
2. supreme, superior and inferior nuchal lines 1
2
3
3. external occipital crest
Sphenoid Bone
A complex bone because of its shape, it is referred to as "wasp bone
or butterfly bone" and it is a keystone of cranial floor because it
parietal frontal
articulates with all cranial bones.
It consists of:
ethmoid
sphenoid
1) greater wings: are large and arise from lateral aspect of sphenoid occipital temporal
vomer
body.
2) lesser wings: are small and arise from the anteriolateral aspect of
sphenoid body.
3) two pterygoid processes: descends inferiorly from the sphenoid
body and each process consists of two plates: 2
A. medial pterygoid plate
1
B. lateral pterygoid plate
B
A
Landmarks of Sphenoid Bone
4) Body : is essentially hollow because it contains sphenoidal air sinuses. Lesser wing
Greater wing
1)chiasmatic groove – a sulcus formed by optic chiasm (where optic
nerves partially cross).
Pterygoid process Sphenoid air sinus
2) sella turcica – a saddle shaped depression. it has three parts:
A. tuberculum sellae – forms anterior wall of sella turcica, and it
lie posterior of chiasmatic groove.
B. hypophyseal fossa –deepest part of sella turcica, where
pituitary gland is located.
C. dorsum sellae – forms posterior wall of sella turcica.
3) Sella turcica is surrounded by the anterior and posterior clinoid
processes.
Ethmoid Bone Anterior cranial fossa
A single bone, it contributes to formation of orbit, nasal 2
1
cavity, nasal septum and floor of anterior cranial fossa.
Ethmoid
4
it's made up of following parts : Orbit 3
1) Cribriform plate forms roof of nasal cavity and contains
olfactory foramina which passed by olfactory nerve fibers. Nasal
2) Crista galli: arises superiorly from cribriform plate, which
provides an attachment for falx cerebri .
3) Perpendicular plate is a bony projection descends from
cribriform plate and forms superior 2/3 of nasal septum. 2
1
4) Ethmoidal labyrinths are large lateral masses, which Orbit 4 Superior nasal concha
contain ethmoid air sinus . Two plates form each labyrinth: 3
•lateral plate - forms medial wall of orbit Nasal cavity
Middle nasal concha
•medial plate – forms upper lateral wall of nasal cavity, from
which superior and middle conchae extended
FACE
Zygomatic bones
It is a paired bone, often referred to as cheekbone.
Articulated: frontal, great wing of sphenoid, temporal and parietal
Frontal
maxillary bones.
It has 3 processes :
1. frontal process Temporal 1
2. temporal process 2 3
Maxilla
3. maxillary process
It has 3 foramina:
A. zygomaticoorbital foramen
B. zygomaticofacial foramen.
C. zygomaticotemporal foramen
Maxilla
Also known as upper jaw, it forms floor of orbit, floor
and lower lateral wall of nose and palate, roof of oral
cavity and holds upper teeth
Landmarks:
1. maxillary air sinus.
2. infraorbital foramen serves as a pathway for 5
infraorbital nerve and vessels.
3. anterior nasal spine 6
3
4. alveolar process: inferior arch of the maxilla 2
where upper teeth are held. 4
5. frontal process
6. zygomatic process
Landmarks of Maxilla
7. palatine process: is a horizontal extension which is constituting
roof of mouth and floor of nasal cavity
So palatine process of maxilla and palatine bone form hard palate. A
Palatine process contains:
A. incisive foramen can be found just posteriorly to incisor teeth
where nasopalatine nerve pass through it. 7
B
B. median palatine suture lies between 2 palatine processes of
maxilla .
C. transvers palatine suture lies between palatine processes of
maxilla and palatine bone . C
Lacrimal bones
Paired bones located in medial wall of orbit. They
provide support to structures of lacrimal apparatus.
1. Lacrimal fossa for lacrimal sac
3
2. anterior lacrimal crest of maxillary bone: bounded
1
fossa anteriorly
2
3. Posterior lacrimal crest of lacrimal bone: : bounded
fossa anteriorly
Nasal bones
Two slender bones that located side by side at the
upper middle part of the face.
They form the upper 1/3 of nose
Vomer bone
Is a single bone, it lies vertically in the midline of
nasal cavity
Vomer forms posterior aspect of nasal septum, it
unites with perpendicular plate of ethmoid bone and
nasal septal cartilage form the total nasal septum.
Bonny nasal septum = upper 2/3 perpendicular plate
of ethmoid + lower 1/3 vomer
Inferior Nasal Concha
They are two bones located in lateral wall
of nasal cavity. The inferior nasal concha is
the longest and broadest of the three
conchae unlike the superior and middle
conchae.
They help in humidification, heating and Ethmoid
filtering of air inhaled through the nose. Superior concha
Middle concha
Inferior concha
palatine
Palatine bones
They are two bones and located in
posterior part of oral cavity.
Each bone has 2 plates:
1) Horizontal plate: forms the posterior
part of hard palate and floor of the nasal
2
cavity.
2) Perpendicular plate: forms the lateral
1
wall of nasal cavity and the floor of
orbit.
Landmarks of Palatine bones
Each bone has 2 foraminae:
1) Greater palatine foramina:
situated anteriorly and provides a
passage for greater palatine nerve
and vessels.
2) Lesser palatine foramina:
situated posteriorly and provides
a passage for lesser palatine
nerve and vessels.