Human Anatomy

Lec. 5/ Dr. Mortadha Sami

Skeletal System of the Body:

Skull: Cranial Bones
The Axial Skeleton

The axial skeleton forms the vertical, central axis of the body and includes all
bones of the head, neck, chest, and back. It serves to protect the brain, spinal cord,
heart, and lungs. It also serves as the attachment site for muscles that move the
head, neck, and back.

The axial skeleton of the adult consists of 80 bones, including:

1.The skull: In the adult, the skull consists of 22 individual bones:

a) 21 of which are immobile and united into a single unit.

b) The 22nd bone is the mandible (lower jaw), which is the only moveable
bone of the skull.
c) An additional seven bones, including the hyoid bone and the ear ossicles
(3 small bones found in each middle ear).

2.The vertebral column: consists of 24 bones, each called a vertebra, plus the
sacrum and coccyx.

3.The thoracic cage: includes the 12 pairs of ribs, and the sternum (the flattened
bone of the anterior chest).

The Skull

Skull is made of separate flat bones united at immobile joints called sutures,
covered on the outer and inner surfaces with periosteum. The internal surface is
thinner and more brittle than the external surface. The bones of the skull can be
divided into those of the cranium (brain case) and those of the face.

1
The cranial bones consists of the The facial bones consist of the
following, two of which are paired: following, two of which are single:

1. Frontal bone: 1 1. Zygomatic bones: 2

2. Parietal bones: 2 2. Maxillae: 2

3. Occipital bone: 1 3. Nasal bones: 2

4. Temporal bones: 2 4. Lacrimal bones: 2

5. Sphenoid bone: 1 5. Vomer: 1

6. Ethmoid bone: 1 6. Palatine bones: 2

7. Inferior conchae: 2

8. Mandible: 1

Sutures of the Skull

Skull sutures are a type of immovable fibrous joint. The main sutures in
adulthood are:
1. Coronal suture: which fuses the frontal bone with the two parietal bones.
2. Sagittal suture: which fuses both parietal bones to each other.
3. Lambdoid suture: which fuses the occipital bone to the two parietal bones.

2
In neonates, the incompletely fused suture joints give rise to membranous gaps
between the bones, known as fontanelles. The two major fontanelles are:
1. Anterior fontanelle: located at the junction of the coronal and sagittal
sutures.
2. Posterior fontanelle: located at the junction of the sagittal and lambdoid
sutures.

3
The Cranium
The cranium forms the superior aspect of the skull. It protects the brain, meninges
and cerebral vasculature by an interior space called the cranial cavity.
Anatomically, the roof and the lateral and posterior sides of the skull called the
vault, and the floor of the cranium is referred to as the base of the skull, the base
is subdivided into three large spaces called:
1. Anterior cranial fossa .
2. Middle cranial fossa .
3. Posterior cranial fossa .
From anterior to posterior, the fossae increase in depth. The shape and depth of
each fossa corresponds to the shape and size of the brain region that each houses.

4
Frontal Bone
1. A single bone forms the forehead.
2. Its anterior portion forms:
• The supraorbital margin.
• Near the middle of this margin, is the supraorbital foramen of the orbit.
• The zygomatic process of the frontal bone extends from the posterior part
of the supraorbital margin.
3. The orbital portion extends posteriorly inside the cranial cavity and forms:

• Roof of the orbit.

• Floor of the anterior cranial fossa.
4. The Nasal portion lies between two supraorbital margins. It articulates with
the nasal bones and the frontal process of maxilla to form the roof of the nose.

Parietal Bone
The parietal bone forms most of the upper lateral sides of the skull. These are
paired bones, with the right and left. Parietal bones joining together at the top of
the skull by sagittal suture, each parietal bone is bounded:
1. Anteriorly by the frontal bone (coronal suture).
2. Inferiorly by the temporal bone.
3. Posteriorly by the occipital bone (lambdoid suture).

5
Temporal Bone
The temporal bone forms the lower lateral side of the skull. The temporal bone
has several regions:
• The squamous portion which is the flattened upper portion and largest one.
• Below, the zygomatic process extends laterally and anteriorly and articulates
with the posterior temporal portion of the zygomatic arch.
• Posteriorly, is the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. Projecting inferiorly
from this region the mastoid process, which serves as a muscle attachment
site.
• The petrous portion of each temporal bone forms the petrous ridge. Located
inside each petrous ridge small cavities that house the structures of the middle
and inner ears.

6
Important landmarks of the temporal bone include the following:
• External acoustic meatus (ear canal): This is the large opening on the lateral
side of the skull that is associated with the ear.
• Internal acoustic meatus: This opening is located inside the cranial cavity,
on the medial side of the petrous ridge.
• Mandibular fossa: oval-shaped depression, located inferior and medial to the
zygomatic process, just in front of the external acoustic meatus. It articulates
with the mandibular condyle, forming the temporomandibular joint.
• Styloid process: is an elongated, downward bony projection, posterior to the
mandibular fossa on the external base of the skull, serves as an attachment site
for several small muscles and for a ligament that supports the hyoid bone of
the neck.

7
Occipital Bone
1. The occipital bone is the single bone that forms the posterior skull and
posterior base of the cranial cavity.
2. On its outside surface, at the posterior midline, is a small protrusion called the
external occipital-protuberance, which serves as an attachment site for a
ligament of the posterior neck.
3. Lateral to either side of this bump is a superior nuchal line at which muscles
of the neck attach to the skull.
4. The occipital bone contains the large opening of the foramen magnum, which
allows for passage of the spinal cord as it exits the skull.
5. On either side of the foramen magnum are an oval-shaped occipital condyle
form joints with the first cervical vertebra and thus support the skull on top of
the vertebral column

8
Sphenoid Bone
1. Forms the majority of the middle cranial fossa, and the middle cranial base.
2. The sphenoid bone consists of a body, paired greater wings and lesser wings,
and two pterygoid processes.
3. The body lies at the center of the bone, at midline of the middle cranial fossa,
and it contains the sphenoidal sinuses.
4. The medial border of the body forms the optic canal.
5. The superior surface of the body contains Sella turcica, a saddle-shaped
depression, where the pituitary gland is located.
6. There is a ‘slit-like’ gap between the lesser and greater wings of the sphenoid
bone called the superior orbital fissure.
7. The greater wings contribute to three parts of the facial skeleton:
Floor of the middle cranial fossa.
Lateral wall of the skull.
Posterolateral wall of the orbit.
8. There are three foramina present in the greater wing:
foramen rotundum.
foramen ovale.
foramen spinosum.
9. The pterygoid process descends inferiorly from the point of junction between
the sphenoid body and the greater wing. It consists of two parts the medial
pterygoid plate and lateral pterygoid plate. The right and left medial
pterygoid plates form the posterior and lateral walls of the nasal cavity. The
lateral pterygoid plates serve as attachment sites for muscles of mastication.

9
Ethmoid Bone
1. This single bone located at the midline of the anterior cranium. It is situated
between the two orbital cavities and forms the medial wall.
2. It forms part of the anterior cranial fossa, where it separates the nasal cavity
(inferiorly) from the cranial cavity (superiorly). It also forms a significant
portion of the nasal septum and lateral nasal wall.
3. At its superior surface a small flattened area called cribriform plate, with
numerous small openings termed cribriform foramina. Small nerve branches
from the olfactory areas of the nasal cavity pass through these openings to
enter the brain.
4. The cribriform plate has a superior projection called crista galli, which
provides an attachment for one of the covering layers of the brain.
5. Another projection of bone descends from the cribriform plate called the
perpendicular plate. It forms the superior two-thirds of the nasal septum.
6. The ethmoid bone contains two ethmoidal labyrinths, these are large masses
located at either side of the perpendicular plate, which contain the ethmoidal
air cells (sinuses). Two sheets of bone forms each labyrinth:
• Orbital plate: the lateral sheet of bone, which also forms the medial
wall of the orbit
• Medial sheet: forms the upper lateral wall of the nasal cavity, from
which the superior and middle conchae extend into the nasal cavity.

10
11