TEMPORAL BONE

The temporal bone contributes to the lower lateral walls

of the skull. Its contains the middle and inner portions of
the ear.
The lower portion of the bone articulates with the
mandible, forming the temporalmandibular joint of the jaw.
 Aanatomical structure
The temporal bone itself is comprise of four
constituent parts: the squamous, tympanic and petrous
and mastoid part make up the majority of the bone,
with the zygomatic and styloid processes projecting
outwards.
 Squamous portion
The anterosuperior part of the temporal bone is a large
flattened scale-like plate that forms the lateral boundary of the
middle cranial fossa. It has three borders and two surfaces.
 Superiorly, it overlaps the sculpted squamous margin of the
middle third of the parietal bone and constructs the
squamosal suture.
 Posteriorly, it forms the occipitomastoid suture with the
squamous part of the occipital bone.
 Antero-inferiorly, articulates with the greater wing of the
sphenoid bone to form the spheno-squamosal suture.
 Inferiorly, it fuses and forms the petro-squamous suture.
 Squamous portion
External surface, the greater part of the temporal
fossa, provides origin to the temporalis muscle and is
limited below by the curved line, the temporal line, that
lies from the supra-meatal crest to the mastoid cortex
posteriorly. Below this line, just above and behind the
external acoustic meatus (EAM), the supra-meatal
triangle (Macewen’s triangle) contains the supra-meatal
spine, spine of Henle and the cribriform area.
On this smooth surface, there is a sulcus for the
middle temporal artery, which is the medial branch of
the superficial temporal artery
 Squamous portion

Internal surface is rough and

concave in shape, and the
anterior and posterior divisions
of middle meningeal artery
(MMA) run in a groove on this
surface that defines the
boundary of middle cranial
fossa. Inferiorly, it forms the
petro-squamosal suture with the
anterior surface of the petrous
part.
Squamous portion
 The mastoid portion
The mastoid portion forms the thick posterior
part of the temporal bone. It fuses with the squamous
portion antero-superiorly and the tympanic portion
anteriorly and the petrous portion anteromedially. It
has three borders and two surfaces.
 The mastoid portion
Posteriorly, it articulates with the squamous part of
the occipital bone between lateral angle and the
jugular process and constructs the occipitomastoid
suture.
Inferiorly, the mastoid process extends as a rough
and conical shaped projection and filled with
mastoid cells variable in shape and size.
 Anteriorly, it associates with the tympanic portions
of the temporal bone to form the tympano-mastoid
suture, and the inferior auricular branch of the
vagus nerve (Arnold’s nerve) exits through this
suture.
 The petrous portion
Base: fused with the internal surfaces of the squamous and
mastoid parts
Apex : presents the anterior opening of the carotid canal and
forms the postero-lateral border of the foramen lacerum
area.
 The petrous portion

Anterior surface: forms the posterior part of the middle

cranial fossa; contains arcuate eminence, tegmen tympani,
groove and hiatus for greater petrosal nerve, hiatus for the
lesser superficial petrosal nerve, termination of the carotid
canal, trigeminal impression
Posterior surface: froms the anterior part of the posterior
cranial fossa; contains internal acoustic opening
Inferior surface: quadrangular area, opening of the carotid
canal, jugular fossa
Content: acoustic labyrinth
 The tympanic portion
Posterior surface: forms the anterior wall, the floor and
part of the posterior wall of the external acoustic meatus;
contains the tympanic sulcus (for the attachment of the
tympanic membrane)
Anterior surface: forms the posterior part of the
mandibular fossa and a part of the external acoustic
meatus
Borders: lateral, superior, inferior (its lateral part -
vaginal process - splits to enclose the root of the styloid
process)
Processes: styloid process
 Joints
The temporal bone articulates with a number of other
flat bones of the skull at joints called sutures: 
 The occipitomastoid suture separates the mastoid part of
the temporal bone from the occipital bone posteriorly
 The squamosal suture separates the squamous part of the
temporal bone from the parietal bone posteriorly and
superiorly
 The sphenosquamosal suture separates the squamous
part from the greater wing of the sphenoid bone
anteriorly
 The zygomaticotemporal suture separates the zygomatic
process of the temporal bone from the temporal process
of the zygomatic bone, forming the zygomatic arch.
 Joints
The temporal bone also articulates with the mandible at
the temporomandibular joint . At this hinge joint, the
rounded head of the mandible articulates with a socket
formed by the mandibular fossa and the articular process
of the temporal bone.
 Muscular attachments
 A number of muscles are attached to different
features of the temporal bone. The temporalis
muscle originates from the temporal fossa, which is
formed partially by the lateral aspect of the
temporal bone. The sternocleidomastoid, splenius
capitis, longissimus capitis and digastric are all
attached to the mastoid process of the temporal
bone. Attaching to the styloid process are the:
stylopharyngeus, styloglossus, stylohyoid muscle.
Stylopharyngeus Styloglossus

Stylohyoid muscles
 Foramina
There are a number of openings in the temporal
bone through which structures entering and exiting the
cranial cavity pass.

• Anteromedially, the
temporal bone forms the
posterior boundary of
the foramen lacerum,
through which the
greater petrosal nerve
passes.
• The carotid canal is a passageway
through which the internal carotid
artery passes through the petrous
part of the temporal bone to emerge
in the middle cranial fossa.

• The internal acoustic meatus is another

canal passing through the petrous part of the
temporal bone between the posterior cranial
fossa and the external acoustic meatus.
Passing through this opening are the facial
nerve (CN VII), the vestibulocochlear nerve
(CN VIII) and the labyrinthine artery. The
vestibulocochlear nerve terminates in the
temporal bone. The facial nerve continuous
outwards, exiting the temporal bone through
the stylomastoid foramen.
• Posteriorly, the petrous part of the temporal bone
forms the anterior extremity of the jugular foramen.
Formed at the jugular foramen where the sigmoid sinus
exits the skull is the internal jugular vein. There are
also a number of other structures passing through this
opening. These include three of the cranial nerves: the
glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX), the vagus nerve (CN
X) and the accessory nerve (CN XI). The posterior
meningeal artery also passes through this opening.
• There are also some smaller openings in the
temporal bone. There are two hiatuses through which
the greater and lesser petrosal nerves exit the
geniculate ganglion in the facial canal. There is also a
mastoid foramen, through which emissary veins and
sometimes a branch of the occipital artery pass.
Thanks for listening