the sphenoid bone unite; they form the lateral
posterior region of the nasal cavity.
- At the base of the lateral pterygoid process in
the greater wing is the foramen ovale.
- The foramen lacerum, covered in part by a layer
of fibrocartilage in living subjects, is bounded
anteriorly by the sphenoid bone and medially by
the sphenoid and occipital bones. It transmits a
branch of the ascending pharyngeal artery.
- Another foramen associated with the sphenoid
bone is the foramen rotundum located at the
junction of the anterior and medial parts of the
sphenoid bone. The maxillary branch of the
trigeminal (V) nerve passes through the
foramen rotundum.
ETHMOID BONE
- The ethmoid bone is a delicate bone located in
the anterior part of the cranial floor medial to
the orbits and is spongelike in appearance.
- It is anterior to the sphenoid and posterior to the
nasal bones.
- The ethmoid bone forms (1) part of the anterior
portion of the cranial floor; (2) the medial wall of
the orbits; (3) the superior portion of the nasal
septum, a partition that divides the nasal cavity
into right and left sides; and (4) most of the
superior sidewalls of the nasal cavity.
- Major superior supporting structure of the nasal
cavity and forms an extensive surface area in
the nasal cavity.
- The cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone lies in
the anterior floor of the cranium and forms the
roof of the nasal cavity. It contains the olfactory
foramina through which the olfactory nerves
pass.
- Projecting superiorly from the cribriform plate is
a triangular process called the crista galli, which
serves as a point of attachment for the falx
cerebri, the membrane that separates the two
sides of the brain.
- Projecting inferiorly from the cribriform plate is
the perpendicular plate, which forms the
superior portion of the nasal septum.
- The lateral masses of the ethmoid bone
compose most of the wall between the nasal
cavity and the orbits. They contain 3 to 18 air
spaces called ethmoidal cells.
- The ethmoidal cells together form the ethmoidal
sinuses.
- The lateral masses contain two thin, scroll-
shaped projections lateral to the nasal septum.
These are called the superior nasal concha or
turbinate and the middle nasal concha
(turbinate).
- A third pair of conchae, the inferior nasal
conchae, are separate bones.
- The conchae greatly increase the vascular and
mucous membrane surface area in the nasal
cavity, which warms and moistens (humidifies)
inhaled air before it passes into the lungs. The
conchae also cause inhaled air to swirl; as a
result, many inhaled particles become trapped
in the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. This
action of the conchae helps cleanse inhaled air
before it passes into the rest of the respiratory
passageways. The superior nasal conchae are
near the olfactory foramina of the cribriform
plate where the sensory receptors for olfaction
(smell) terminate in the mucous membrane of
the superior nasal conchae. Thus, they increase
the surface area for the sense of smell.