middle cranial fossa
The middle cranial fossa is a butterfly-shaped depression of the skull base, which is narrow in the middle and wider laterally. It houses the temporal lobes of the cerebrum.
Gross anatomy
The middle cranial fossa can be divided into medial and lateral parts. In the medial part, the following structures are present from anterior to posterior:
- chiasmatic groove
- tuberculum sellae
- anterior clinoid processes
- middle clinoid process
- sella turcica
- carotid grooves (on either sides of sella)
- dorsum sellae
- posterior clinoid processes
The lateral part is considerably deeper than the medial part to allow for the temporal lobes. Structures present in the lateral part from anterior to posterior are:
Boundaries
- anterior: posterior margins of the lesser wings of the sphenoid bone; anterior clinoid processes; anterior margin of the chiasmatic groove
- posterior: anterior surface of petrous temporal bones; dorsum sellae
- lateral: squamous temporal bone; sphenoidal angles of the parietal bones; greater wings of the sphenoid bone
Siehe auch:
- Fissura orbitalis superior
- Foramen lacerum
- Foramen spinosum
- Foramen rotundum
- foramen ovale contents (mnemonic)
und weiter:
Assoziationen und Differentialdiagnosen zu Mittlere Schädelgrube:
