Landmarks and features of the Sphenoid bone

The sphenoid bone is a bat or butterfly shaped bone (coming from the
Greek word sphenoeides meaning wedge-shaped) that articulates
with both cranial and facial bones, including the occipital, temporal,
parietal, and frontal bones in the cranium and the zygomatic, palatine,
maxilla, and vomer facial bones. The sphenoid has lesser and greater
wings; the greater wings extend laterally from the body while the
lesser wings extend on the anterior surface from the body. From the
inside of the skull, you can see that the body of the sphenoid is
grooved by the pituitary fossa (sella turcica) that is bordered by the
dorsum sellae inferiorly and the tuberculum sellae superiorly. The optic
groove runs superior to the body and contains the optic canal, which is
also within the lesser wing of the sphenoid. The lesser wing of the
sphenoid forms part of the floor of the anterior cranial fossa, and its
medial end is the anterior clinoid process. Between the greater wing
and the lesser wing of the sphenoid is the superior orbital fissure, and
within the greater wing of the sphenoid one can see the foramen
rotundum, foramen ovale, and foramen spinosum. The greater wing of
the sphenoid can be seen on the lateral view of the skull, on the floor
of the temporal fossa.
Anteriorly the foramen rotundum opens into the pterygopalatine fossa.
The pterygopalatine fossa is a hidden region of the skull and can only
be seen from the side, in a fissure between the lateral pterygoid plate
and the maxilla. The sphenoid is also composed of two pterygoid
processes each with two pterygoid plates, the medial pterygoid plate
and the lateral pterygoid plate. The pterygoid plates are attachment
sites for muscles that move the mandible. The medial pterygoid plate
had a pterygoid hamulus inferiorly and a scaphoid fossa superiorly.
Within the body of the sphenoid there are two sphenoidal air sinuses
that are separated by a septum, usually off the midline. The basi
sphenoid articulates with the basi occipate, the articulation fuses at
about 15 years of age. The sphenoid has a spine that can be seen in
the infratemporal fossa.