Lecture two
Parts of the SKULL
By
Dr. Haythem Ali Alsayigh
Department of SURGERY
University of Babylon
College of DENTISTRY
Objectives
• Brain storm basic functions of the human skull
• To identify basic anatomical features of the skull
• To be able to recognize different bony landmarks of
the skull
• To Identify outer bony features of bones of the skull
• Identify sutures, pterion, and base of the skull
“outer view”
• Understand importance of different bony foramina
of the skull” details TB discussed in CNS”
skull
• The skull is a bony structure that supports the face
and forms a protective cavity for the brain. It is
comprised of many bones, which are formed by
intramembranous ossification, and joined
by sutures (fibrous joints).
• The bones of the skull can be considered as two
groups: those of the cranium (which consist of the
cranial roof and cranial base) and those of the face.
• Cranium
• The cranium (also known as the neurocranium) is
formed by the superior aspect of the skull. It
encloses and protects the brain, meninges, and
cerebral vasculature.
skull
• Anatomically, the cranium can be
subdivided into a roof and a base:
• Cranial roof – comprised of the frontal,
occipital and two parietal bones. It is also
known as the calvarium.
• Cranial base – comprised of six bones:
frontal, sphenoid, ethmoid, occipital,
parietal and temporal. These bones
articulate with the 1st cervical vertebra
(atlas), the facial bones, and the mandible
(jaw).
Clinical Relevance: Cranial Fractures
• Fractures of the cranium typically arise from blunt
force or penetrating trauma. When considering
cranial fractures, one area of clinical importance is
the pterion – a H-shaped junction between the
temporal, parietal, frontal, and sphenoid
bones.
• The pterion overlies the middle meningeal artery,
and fractures in this area may injury the vessel. Blood
can accumulate between the skull and the dura
mater, forming an extradural haematoma.
Clinical Relevance: Facial Fractures
• Fractures of the facial skeleton are relatively common and most
frequently result from road traffic collisions, fist fights, and falls.
• The four most common facial fracture types are:
• Nasal fracture – the most common facial fracture, due to the prominent
position of the nasal bones at the bridge of the nose. There is often
significant soft tissue swelling and associated epistaxis.
• Maxillary fracture – associated with high-energy trauma. Fractures
affecting of maxillary bones are classified using the Le Fort classification,
ranging from 1 to 3.
• Mandibular fracture – often bilateral occurring directly at the side of
trauma, and indirectly at the contralateral side due to transmitted forces.
Clinical features include pain at fracture site and misalignment اختاللof
the teeth (malocclusion)
• Zygomatic arch fracture – associated with trauma to the side of the
face. Displaced fractures can damage the nearby infraorbital nerve,
leading to ipsilateral paraesthesia of the check, nose, and lip.
Overview
Parts of the SKULL
The skull has 22 bones, excluding the ossicles of the ear.
Except for the mandible, which forms the lower jaw, the
bones of the skull are attached to each other by sutures, are
immobile, and form the cranium.
•The cranium can be subdivided into: an upper part (the
calvaria), which surrounds the cranial cavity containing the
brain;
•a lower anterior part-the facial skeleton (viscerocranium).
The bones forming the calvaria are the paired temporal and
parietal bones, and the unpaired frontal, sphenoid, ethmoid,
and occipital bones.
The bones forming the facial skeleton are the paired nasal
bones, palatine bones, lacrimal bones, zygomatic bones,
maxillae, inferior nasal conchae, and the unpaired vomer.
The mandible is not part of the cranium nor part of the facial
skeleton.
Neck
The neck extends from the head
above to the shoulders and
thorax below . Its superior
boundary is along the inferior
margins of the mandible and
bone features on the posterior
aspect of the skull. The
posterior neck is higher than
the anterior neck to connect
cervical viscera with the
posterior openings of the nasal
and oral cavities.
Regions(Anterior View)
Facial Skeleton consists
of 14 irregular bones:
Lacrimal 2
Nasal 2
Maxillae 2
Zygomatic 2
Palatine 2
Inferior conchae 2
Mandible 1
Vomer 1
Regions Cont.
Regions (Extended neck)
Regions Lateral View Cont.
[Link]
8 bones form 1
the adult’s
Neurocranium
Glabella
Metopic suture
Frontal
Parietal 2
Temporal 2
Occipital 1
Sphenoid1
Ethmoid 1
Posterior View &Sutures
Superior View &Sutures Cont.
Sutures Cont.
Skull: Simple Lateral View
Skull
Lateral
Anato-
mical
View
Observe
The
Pterion:
Intersects the
course of the
anterior division
of the middle
meningeal artery
Pterion..
How to
identify
surface
anatomy?
Inferior
View
FYI!
Inferior View Foramina
Ethmoid (olfactory)
I. Olfactory
Sphenoid (optic)
II. Optic
III. Oculomotor
IV. Trochlear
VI. Abducens
Temporal (otic)
VIII. Acoustic/Auditory/
Vestibulocochlear
Face/Jaws
V. Trigeminal
VII. Facial
Throat (rest of body)
IX Glossopharyngeal
X. Vagus
XI. Spinal Accessory
XII. Hypoglosal
The
Cranial
Cavity
Sphenoid bone
FYI!!
Cont. Important openings &structures
passing through them( Base of skull)
FYI!!
Mandible
Mandible
•The final bony structure visible in a lateral view of the skull is the
mandible.
•Inferiorly in the anterior part of this view, it consists of the anterior body
of mandible, a posterior ramus of mandible, and the angle of mandible
where the inferior margin of the mandible meets the posterior margin of
the ramus
•The teeth are in the alveolar part of mandible of the body and the
mental protuberance is visible in this view.
•The mental foramen is on the lateral surface of the body and on the
superior part of the ramus a condylar and coronoid process extend
upwards.
•The condylar process is involved in articulation of the mandible with the
temporal bone and the coronoid process is the point of attachment for
the temporalis muscle.
References
• Clinical Anatomy by Region “Vishal”6th edition
• Clinically oriented anatomy “Keith Moore”
Fourth edition
• 2009 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
• Gray’s Anatomy for students
• [Link]
skull/[Link]