Cranium

By:
Yustin Nur Khoiriyah, S.Si., M.Sc
 Most complicated bony structure in the human
body
 The complete bony framework of the head;
includes the mandible
28 individual bones make up the skull:
● 11 are paired
● 6 are single
 Wormian bones, or sutural bones, are irregularly
shaped small bones found along
sutures that occur naturally
FUNCTIONS

 Most important function: to protect the brain

 Also protects the 5 organs of special sense:
1. Olfaction
2. Vision
3. Taste
4. Vestibular function
5. Auditory function
 Regionally, the skull is divided into the mandible
(lower jaw) and cranium (skull without the
mandible)
 Cranium is further divided into:
1. Cranial vault—upper portion of the skull
2. Cranial base—inferior portion of the skull
3. Cranial cavity—interior of the skull
4. Facial skeleton—bones that make up the face
5. Acoustic skeleton—ear ossicles
 Cranial cavity divisions:
1. Anterior cranial fossa—contains the
frontal lobe of the brain
2. Middle cranial fossa—contains the
temporal lobe of the brain
3. Posterior cranial fossa—contains the
cerebellum
 Skull is depicted by observing it from 5 views:
1. Norma frontalis—the anterior view
2. Norma lateralis—the lateral view
3. Norma occipitalis—the posterior view
4. Norma basalis—the inferior view
5. Norma verticalis—the superior view
 Bone Single Paired
Frontal* X
Parietal* X
Temporal* X
Occipital* X
Sphenoid* X
Zygomatic* X
Maxilla X
Ethmoid* X
Palatine X
Vomer* X
Nasal* X
Lacrimal* X
Inferior nasal concha* X
Mandible X
Frontal Bone

 There is 1 frontal bone

 Contains: supraorbital notch (foramen)
 Has two primary centers that ossify along the
frontal suture (metopic) in the 2nd year
 Helps form the foramen cecum, which allows
passage of an emissary vein that connects to
the superior sagittal sinus
Parietal Bone

 Form the majority of the cranial vault

 There are 2 parietal bones
 The four corners of the parietal are not
ossified at birth and give rise to the
fontanelles
 CRANIUM
Pertemuan ke-2

Bandar Lampung, 29 September 2016

Occipital Bone

 Form the posterior part of the cranial vault

 Three parts of occipital bone are following:
1. Squamous portion
2. Lateral portion
3. Basilar portion
 There is 1 occipital bone
 Squamous portion
1. The largest portion of
occipital bone
2. Located posterior and
superior to the foramen
magnum
3. The squamous portions
normally ossify together
by year 4
 Lateral portion
1. Is the portion lateral to
the foramen magnum
2. The lateral portions
normally ossify
together by year 4
3. Forms a portion of the
jugular foramen
 Basilar portion
1. Is the portion immediately
anterior to the foramen
magnum
2. The basilar portion unites to
this section at year 6 (this
section = The squamous and
lateral portions)
3. Special part of the basilar
portion is pharyngeal tubercle
Temporal Bone

 The paired temporal bones:

1. Help form the base and the lateral walls
of the skull
2. House the auditory and vestibular
apparatuses
3. Contain mastoid air cells
4. There are 2 temporal bones
Sphenoid Bone

 Forms the majority of the middle portion of

the cranial base
 Contain the sphenoidal sinus
 There is 1 sphenoid bone
Zygomatic Bone

 Forms the majority of the skeleton of the

cheek
 Three foramina in the zygoma:
1. Zygomatico-orbital foramen
2. Zygomatico-facial foramen
3. Zygomatico-temporal foramen
 There are 2 zygomatic bones
Zygomatic Bone
Ethmoid Bone

 Porous bone that forms the major portion of

the middle part of the face between the
orbits
 There is 1 ethmoid bone
Ethmoid Bone
Vomer

 Shape like a “plough”

 Forms the posterior inferior part of the nasal
septum
 There is 1 vomer bone
Vomer
Nasal

 Inferior portion forms the superior margin of

the nasal aperture
 Forms the brigde of the nose
 There are 2 nasal bones
Nasal Bone
Nasal Bone
Lacrimal

 Is small and rectangular in shape and very

thin and fragile
 There are 2 lacrimal bones
Lacrimal Lacrimal
Bone Bone
Inferior nasal concha

 Is described as a curved bone that forms part

of the lateral wall of the nasal cavity
 There are 2 inferior nasal conchae
Inferior nasal concha
Detail at the next class session

 Maxilla
 Palatine Bone
 Mandibula