Foramen rotundum

The foramen rotundum (Latin for " round hole " ) is an opening of the skull in the area of the sphenoid bone, which connects the middle cranial fossa ( fossa media) with the wing palate pit ( pterygopalatine fossa ). In the adult human is about 3.5 mm. The foramen rotundum is the point of passage for the maxillary nerve, a branch of the fifth cranial nerve.

In ruminants and pigs the foramen rotundum is the foramen orbitorotundum fused with the orbital fissure.