Middle cranial fossa

The fossa media (Latin, middle cranial fossa ) is a portion of the cranial cavity, which houses the central part of the brain, the temporal lobes of the cerebrum and a portion of the brain stem. It is located between the anterior ( cranial fossa anterior) and posterior cranial fossa ( posterior fossa ) and is used by large and small wing of the sphenoid bone determined ( greater wing of the sphenoid and Ala minor ).

The back side ( dorsal) demarcation of the fossa media forms part of the rocks ( petrous ) of the temporal bone ( temporal bone ).

The floor of the middle cranial fossa consists of the great wing of the sphenoid and the shed part ( pars squamosa ) of the temporal bone. Here is the so-called Turkish saddle ( sella turcica ), which divides the middle cranial fossa into two halves. In its center is a pit for the pituitary gland, the pituitary fossa. To the rear of the Turkish saddle ends in the dorsum ( dorsum sellae ).

The middle cranial fossa contains portions of the fibrocartilaginous Chondrocraniums which close the foramen lacerum (, torn hole ').

Skull passages

Ophthalmic artery

Trochlear nerve ophthalmic nerve abducens nerve nasociliary frontal nerve lacrimal nerve Superior ophthalmic vein

Middle meningeal artery accessoria Venous plexus of foramen ovale

Vena meningeal artery Meningeal ramus of the mandibular nerve

Nerve deep petrosal