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Foramina of the skull

  1. The carotid canals are associated with the ________?
    Temporal bones
  2. Where are the carotid canals located?
    Interior: They will be holes/fissures located immediately postero-laterally to the sella turcica

    Exterior: They will be holes located antero-laterally to the occipital condyles (do not confuse with the jugular foramina which are probably larger and lie closer to the occipital condyles posterior to the carotid canals)
  3. What structures will you find in the carotid canals?
    Internal carotid arteries (NOT the common carotid arteries!!!!!)
  4. The external acoustic meatuses are associated with the ________?
    Temporal bones
  5. Where are the external acoustic meatuses located?
    On the lateral aspects of the skull on the temporal bones immediately anterior to the mastoid processes.
  6. What is another name for the external acoustic meatuses?
    The external auditory canals
  7. What structures will you find in the external acoustic meatuses?
    Nothing, they channel sound waves into the middle ears.
  8. The foramina lacerum are associated with the ________?
    • Sphenoid
    • Occipital
    • Temporal
  9. Where are the foramina lacerum located?
    Interior: Not seen (they are immediately inferior to the carotid canals)

    Exterior: They are gaps located immediately posterior to the medial pterygoid plates of the Sphenoid where the Temporal, Occipital, and Sphenoid bones converge
  10. What structures will you find in the foramina lacerum?
    None, ordinarily.
  11. The foramen magnum is associated with the ________?
    Occipital bone
  12. Where is the foramen magnum located?
    Interior: It is the giant hole posterior to the sella turcica, medial to the petrous portions of the Temporal bones

    Exterior: It is the giant hole medial to the occipital condyles
  13. What structures will you find in the foramen magnum?
    • Medulla Oblongata (beginning of the spinal cord)
    • CN XI (Spinal Accessory)
    • Vertebral arteries
  14. The foramina ovale are associated with the ________?
    Sphenoid bone
  15. Where are the foramina ovale located?
    Interior: They are oval-shaped holes located postero-lateral to the sella turcica

    Exterior: They are oval-shaped holes located immediately postero-lateral to the lateral pterygoid plates of the Sphenoid
  16. What structures will you find in the foramina ovale?
    CN V3 (Trigeminal - Mandibular branch)
  17. The foramina rotundum are associated with the ________?
    Sphenoid bone
  18. Where are the foramina rotundum located?
    Interior: They are round holes located postero-inferior to the superior orbital fissures, inferior to the lesser wings of the Sphenoid

    Exterior: Not seen (these holes open near the nasal cavities)
  19. What structures will you find in the foramina rotundum?
    CN V2 (Trigeminal - Maxillary branch)
  20. The foramina spinosum are associated with the ________?
    Sphenoid bone
  21. Where are the foramina spinosum located?
    Interior: They are little holes located postero-lateral to the foramina ovale

    Exterior: They are little holes located postero-lateral to the foramina ovale
  22. What structures will you find in the foramina spinosum?
    The middle meningeal arteries
  23. The hypoglossal canals are associated with the ________?
    Occipital bone
  24. Where are the hypoglossal canals located?
    Interior: Laterally on the inner diameter of the foramen magnum

    Exterior: somewhere near the posterior base of the occipital condyles
  25. What structures will you find in the hypoglossal canals?
    CN XII (Hypoglossal)
  26. The inferior orbital fissures are associated with the ________?
    Sphenoid and Maxilla (it is a fissure between them)
  27. Where are the inferior orbital fissures located?
    They are fissures that run infero-laterally on the postero-inferior aspect of the orbits
  28. What structures will you find in the inferior orbital fissures?
    CN V2 (Trigeminal - Maxillary branch)
  29. The infraorbital foramina are associated with the ________?
    Maxilla
  30. Where are the infraorbital foramina located?
    Inferior to the orbits on the anterior of the skull
  31. What structures will you find in the infraorbital foramina?
    • Infraorbital arteries
    • Infraorbital veins
    • Infraorbital nerves
  32. The incisive foramen is associated with the ________?
    Pallatine process of the Maxilla
  33. Where is the incisive foramen located?
    Immediately posterior to the incisors
  34. What structures will you find in the incisive foramen?
    • Incisive artery
    • Incisive vein
    • Incisive nerve
  35. The internal auditory canals are associated with the ________?
    Temporal bones (petrous portion)
  36. Where are the internal auditory canals located?
    They are holes located on the petrous portion of the Temporal bones lateral to the jugular foramina
  37. What structures will you find in the internal auditory canals?
    • CN VII (Facial)
    • CN VIII (Vestibulocochlear)
  38. The jugular foramina are associated with the ________?
    Temporal bones
  39. Where are the jugular foramina located?
    Interior: They are holes lateral to the foramen magnum but infero-medial to the internal auditory canals

    Exterior: They are holes located immediatey lateral to the occipital condyles but immediately medial to the mandibular fossae (do not confuse with the carotid canals, which are anterior to the jugular foramina and generally smaller)
  40. What structures will you find in the jugular foramina?
    • Internal jugular veins
    • CN IX (Glossopharyngeal)
    • CN X (Vagus)
    • CN XI (Spinal Accessory)
  41. The mandibular foramina are associated with the ________?
    Rami of the Mandible
  42. Where are the mandibular foramina located?
    On the medial aspect of the mandibular rami inferior to the mandibular notch
  43. What structures will you find in the mandibular foramina?
    The inferior alveolar nerves and vessels
  44. The mental foramina are associated with the ________?
    Mandible
  45. Where are the mental foramina located?
    They are holes on the anterior aspect of the mandible lateral to the mental protuberance
  46. What structures will you find in the mental foramina?
    Mental nerves and vessels
  47. The nasolacrimal canal is associated with the ________?
    Lacrimal bones
  48. Where are the nasolacrimal canals located?
    They are channels on the medial aspect of the orbits that drain into the nasal passages
  49. What structures will you find in the nasolacrimal canals?
    The lacrimal apparatus
  50. The olfactory foramina are associated with the ________?
    Ethmoid bone
  51. Where are the olfactory fomina located?
    They are a series of holes in the cribiform plate of the ethmoid bone immediately lateral to the crista galli
  52. What structures will you find in the olfactory foramina?
    CN I (Olfactory)
  53. The optic canals are associated with the ________?
    Sphenoid bone
  54. Where are the optic canals located?
    Interior: They are small holes in the lesser wing of the sphenoid immediately antero-lateral to the sella turcica

    Exterior: They appear as small holes in the sphenoid bone by the ethmoid bone on the medial aspect of the orbits
  55. What structures will you find in the optic canals?
    • CN II (Optic)
    • Opthalmic arteries
  56. The stylomastoid foramina are associated with the ________?
    Temporal bones
  57. Where are the stylomastoid foramina located?
    In between the mastoid process and styloid process in each temporal bone
  58. What structures will you find in the stylomastoid foramina?
    CN VII (Facial)
  59. The superior orbital fissures are associated with the ________?
    Sphenoid bone
  60. Where are the superior orbital fissures located?
    Interior: They are fissures along the margins of the lesser sphenoid wings lateral to the sella turcica

    Exterior: They are fissures running supero-lateral along the superior aspect of the orbits
  61. What structures will you find in the superior orbital fissures?
    • CN III (Occulomotor)
    • CN IV (Trochlear)
    • CN V1 (Trigeminal - Opthalmic branch)
    • CN VI (Abducens)
  62. The supraorbital foramina are associated with the ________?
    Frontal bone
  63. Where are the supraorbital foramina located?
    On the anterior aspect of the frontal bone superior to the orbits
  64. What structures will you find in the supraorbital foramina?
    • Supraorbital arteries
    • Supraorbital veins
    • Supraorbital nerves
Author
SeanOHair
ID
141052
Card Set
Foramina of the skull
Description
Locations, bone associations, and pass-through structures of the skull foramina
Updated

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