Foramina Contents

• Foramen cecum
• Cribiform foramina in cribiform plate
• Anterior and posterior ethmoidal foramina

Nasal emissary vein in 1% of population

Axons of olfactory cells in olfactory epithelium that form olfactory nerves

• Anterior ethmoidal nerve
• Anterior ethmoidal artery

• Posterior ethmoidal nerve
• Posterior ethmoidal artert

• Optic canals
• Superior orbital fissure
• Foramen rotundum
• Foramen ovale
• Foramen spinosum
• Foramen lacerum
• Groove for greater petrosal nerve

• Optic nerves (CN II)
• Opthalmic arteries

• Opthalmic veins
• Opthalmic nerve (CN V1)
• Oculomoter nerve (CN III)
• Trochlear nerve (CN IV)
• Abducens nerve (CN VI)
• Sympathetic fibers

Maxillary nerve (CN V2)

• Mandibular nerve (CN V3)
• Accessory meningeal artery

• Middle meningeal artery
• Middle meningeal vein
• Meningeal branch of CN V3

• Deep petrosal nerve
• Some meningeal arterial branches and small veins

**Internal Carotid artery and accompanying sympathetic and venous plexus actually pass horizontally across (rather than veritcally through) the area of the foramen lacerum in an area thats closed by cartilage during life

• Greater petrosal nerve
• petrosal branch of middle meningeal artery

• Foramen magnum
• Jugular foramen
• Hypoglossal canal
• Condylar canal
• Mastoid foramen

• Medulla and meninges
• Vertebral arteries
• Accessory nerve (CN XI)
• Dural veins
• Anterior spinal artery
• Posterior spinal artery

• Glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
• Vagus nerve (CN X)
• Acessory nerve (CN XI)
• Superior bulb of internal jugular vein
• Inferior petrosal sinus
• Sigmoid sinus
• Meningeal branches of ascending pharyngeal and occipital arteries

Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)

Emissiary vein that passes from sigmoid sinus to vertebral veins in neck

Mastoid emissiary vein from sigmoid sinus and meningeal branch of occipital artery