Base of skull

Under the skull base ( base of the skull Latin ) refers to the lower part of the skull. It is made up of units of the frontal bone ( frontal ), the ethmoid bone ( ethmoid bone ), the sphenoid ( sphenoid ) of the temporal bone ( temporal bone ) and the occipital bone ( occipital bone ). In animal anatomy not include frontal and ethmoid to the skull base, as these there not as the lower ( basal ) portions of the skull are considered.

The inner skull base (base of the skull interna), that is the bottom of the brain containing the cranial cavity is divided into:

  • Anterior cranial fossa ( fossa anterior cranial fossa in animals rostralis )
  • Middle cranial fossa ( fossa media) and
  • Posterior cranial fossa ( posterior fossa, in animals fossa caudalis ).

Openings

In the area of the skull base, there are a number of openings for the passage of cranial nerves and blood vessels:

  • Optic canal: optic nerve, ophthalmic artery
  • Hypoglossal canal: the hypoglossal nerve
  • Jugular foramen: Vagusgruppe, internal jugular vein
  • Canalis musculotubarius: eustachian tube
  • Carotid canal (only in humans and predators ): internal carotid artery
  • Foramen rotundum: maxillary nerve
  • Foramen ovale ( in humans, carnivores, ruminants): mandibular nerve
  • Foramen spinosum (humans, predators ): middle meningeal artery
  • Foramen lacerum (humans, horses, pigs )
  • Internal acoustic meatus, internal opening of the internal auditory meatus ( Internal Auditory Canal ): vestibulocochlear nerve, facial nerve
  • Foramen Alare caudal (dogs, horses): maxillary artery
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