Radiography II

RAD316

Radiographic Anatomy
of Skull
Mrs. Zahra Juma
Research and Teaching Assistant
Radiologic Technology Program – Allied Health Department
CHSS
 • To explain cranial bones and facial
bones anatomy.

Objectives • To explain anatomy of organs of

hearing and equilibrium.

• To review the anatomical parts on

radiographic images.
Attendance
Do find it interesting or
boring to know about
skull anatomy? Why?
Radiographic Anatomy – Skull

 The skull, or bony skeleton of the head,

rests on the superior end of the vertebral
column.

 It is divided into two main sets of bones:

 8 cranial bones
 14 facial bones
Radiographic Anatomy – Skull
Cranial Bones
Radiographic Anatomy – Cranial Bones
 The eight bones of the cranium are divided into the calvarium (skullcap)
and the floor.

 Calvarium (skullcap)  Floor

o Frontal o Right temporal
o Right parietal o Left temporal
o Left parietal o Sphenoid
o Occipital o Ethmoid
Radiographic Anatomy – Cranial Bones
Radiographic Anatomy – Cranial Bones
In groups, read the anatomy of each bone in
the textbook, discuss it and explain it to the
class.
o Frontal bone Page.378
o Parietal Bones Page.379
o Occipital Bone Page. 379
o Temporal Bones Page. 380
o Sphenoid Bone Page. 381
o Ethmoid Bone Page. 382
Cranial Bones Anatomy – Frontal Bone
Cranial Bones Anatomy – Parietal Bones
Cranial Bones Anatomy – Occipital Bone
Cranial Bones Anatomy – Temporal Bones
Cranial Bones Anatomy – Temporal Bones
Cranial Bones Anatomy – Sphenoid Bone
Cranial Bones Anatomy – Sphenoid Bone
Cranial Bones Anatomy – Ethmoid Bone
Cranial Bones Anatomy – Ethmoid Bone
Cranial Bones Anatomy – Sutures
Cranial Bones Anatomy – Sutures
 The articulations or joints of the cranium are called
sutures and are classified as fibrous joints.

 In an adult, these are immovable and therefore are

synarthrodial-type joints.

 Each end of the sagittal suture is identified as a

point or area with a specific name.

 These points are used in surgery or other cases in

which specific reference points or cranial
measurements are necessary.
Cranial Bones Anatomy – Sutures
 The anterior end of the sagittal suture is termed the
bregma.

 The posterior end is called the lambda.

 The right and left pterions are points at the junction

of the frontal, parietals, temporals, and the greater
wings of the sphenoid.

 The right and left asterions are points posterior to

the ear where the squamosal and lambdoidal
sutures meet.
Skull Anatomy – Infant Cranium
 The calvarium (skullcap) on an infant is very large in proportion to the
rest of the body, but the facial bones are quite small.
 Ossification of the individual cranial bones is incomplete at birth, and
the sutures are membrane-covered spaces that fall in soon after birth.
 Certain regions where sutures joints are slower in their ossification, and
these are called fontanels.
 The bregma and the lambda are not bony but are membrane-covered
openings or “soft spots.”
 The anterior fontanel is the largest and at birth measures about 2.5 cm
wide and 4 cm long. It does not completely close until about 18 months
of age.
Skull Anatomy – Infant Cranium
Skull Anatomy – Infant Cranium
Skull Anatomy – Infant Cranium
Infant Adult
Anterior fontanel Bregma
Posterior fontanel Lambda
Right sphenoid fontanel Right pterion
Left sphenoid fontanel Left pterion
Right mastoid fontanel Right asterion
Left mastoid fontanel Left asterion
When do the cranial sutures
ossify completely?
Anatomy Review
Cranial Bones
A. Supraorbital margin of right orbit

B. Crista galli of ethmoid

C. Sagittal suture (posterior skull)

D. Lambdoidal suture (posterior skull)

E. Petrous ridge
Cranial Bones
A. Dorsum sellae of sphenoid
B. Posterior clinoid processes
C. Petrous ridge or petrous pyramid
D. Parietal bone
E. Occipital bone
F. Foramen magnum
Cranial Bones
A. EAM
B. Mastoid portion of temporal bone
C. Occipital bone
D. Lambdoidal suture
E. Clivus
F. Dorsum sellae
G. Posterior clinoid processes
H. Anterior clinoid processes
I. Vertex of cranium
J. Coronal suture
K. Frontal bone
L. Orbital plates
M. Cribriform plate
N. Sella turcica
O. Body of sphenoid (sphenoid sinus)
P. Petrous portion of temporal bone
Anatomy of Organs of
Hearing and
Equilibrium
Organs of Hearing and Equilibrium
 The mastoids and petrous portions are difficult to visualize with conventional
radiography. ?
 CT and MRI have largely replaced conventional radiography for imaging of
these regions.
 The organs of hearing and equilibrium are the main structures found within
the petrous portion of the temporal bones.
 There are three divisions of the ear— external, middle , and internal portions.
Organs of Hearing and Equilibrium
Organs of Hearing and Equilibrium – External Ear
Organs of Hearing and Equilibrium – Middle Ear
Organs of Hearing and Equilibrium – Internal Ear

 The complex internal ear contains the

essential sensory apparatus of both
hearing and equilibrium.

 It is lying within the densest portion

of the petrous pyramid.

 It can be divided into two main parts

—the osseous, or bony labyrinth and
the membranous labyrinth.
Organs of Hearing and Equilibrium – Internal Ear
Mastoids
A. EAM
B. Mastoid antrum
C. Mastoid air cells
D. Downside mandibular condyle (just
anterior to EAM)
E. Upside (magnified) mandibular
condyle
Mastoids

A. Petrous ridge
B. Bony (osseous) labyrinth
(semicircular canals)
C. EAM
D. Region of internal acoustic canal
Facial Bones
Facial Bones
 Facial Bones – Maxillae or Maxillary Bones
 The two maxillae, or maxillary bones, are the
largest immovable bones of the face.

 Each maxilla assists in the formation of three

cavities of the face: (1) the mouth, (2) the nasal
cavity, and (3) one orbit.

 Each maxilla consists of a centrally located body

and four processes that project from that body.

 The body of each maxillary bone contains a large,

air-filled cavity known as a maxillary sinus.
Facial Bones – Maxillae or Maxillary Bones
Facial Bones – Maxillae or Maxillary Bones

 The fourth process of each

maxillary bone is the palatine
process, which can be
demonstrated only on an inferior
view of the two maxillae
Which bones does each maxilla
articulate with?
 Each maxilla articulates with two cranial bones (frontal
and ethmoid) and with seven facial bones (zygoma,
lacrimal, nasal, palatine, inferior nasal concha, vomer, and
adjacent maxilla)
Facial Bones – Zygomatic Bones
What is the other term for these bones?

 These bones form the prominence of

the cheeks and make up the lower
outer portion of the orbits.

 The zygomatic prominence is a

positioning landmark used in
radiography.
Facial Bones – Lacrimal and Nasal Bones
Lacrimal, derived from a word meaning “tear,”
is an appropriate term because the lacrimal
bones are closely associated with the tear
ducts.
Which bones does each
lacrimal and nasal bone
articulate with?
 Each lacrimal bone articulates with two cranial bones ( frontal
and ethmoid) and with two facial bones (maxilla and inferior
nasal concha)
 Each nasal bone articulates with two cranial bones ( frontal and
ethmoid) and with two facial bones (maxilla and adjacent nasal
bone)
Facial Bones – Inferior Nasal Conchae and Palatine
Which bones do palatine
bone and inferior nasal
conchae articulate with?
 Each inferior nasal concha articulates with one cranial bone
(ethmoid) and with three facial bones (maxilla, lacrimal, and
palatine).
 Each palatine articulates with two cranial bones (sphenoid
and ethmoid) and four facial bones (maxilla, inferior nasal
conchae, vomer, and adjacent palatine).
 Facial Bones – Bony Nasal Septum and Vomer
 Two bones; the ethmoid and the vomer,
form the bony nasal septum.

 Anteriorly, the nasal septum is cartilaginous

and is termed the septal cartilage.

 A deviated nasal septum describes the

clinical condition wherein the nasal septum
is defected or displaced laterally from the
midline of the nose. A severe deviation can
entirely block the nasal passageway, making
breathing through the nose impossible.
Facial Bones – Mandible
Facial Bones – Mandible
 The last and largest facial
bone is the lower jaw, or
mandible.

 It is the only movable bone

in the adult skull.

 The mandible is a thin

structure, which explains
why it is susceptible to
fracture.
Facial Bones – Mandible
 Facial Bones – Temporomandibular Joint TMJ
 The TMJ, the only movable joint in the
skull.
 The TMJ is located just anterior and slightly
superior to the EAM.
 When the mouth opens, the condyle and
the fibrocartilage move forward, and at the
same time, the condyle revolves around
the fibrocartilage. The TMJ is classified as a
bicondylar joint similar to the knee joint.
 This allows for not only a hinge-type
motion but also a gliding movement.
Facial Bones – Temporomandibular Joint TMJ
Facial Bones – Temporomandibular Joint TMJ
Facial Bones – Joints of Mandible
Anatomy Review
Facial Bones
A. Zygomatic arch
B. Right zygomatic bone
C. Right nasal bone
D. Frontal process o right maxilla
E. Anterior nasal spine
F. Alveolar process of maxilla
G. Alveolar process of mandible
H. Mentum or mental protuberance
I. Mental foramen
J. Body of mandible
K. Angle (gonion)
L. Ramus of mandible
Facial Bones
M. Coronoid process
N. Mandibular notch
O. Neck of mandibular condyle
P. Condyle or head of mandible
Q. EAM
R. TM fossa of temporal bone
S. Greater wings of sphenoid
T. Lesser wings of sphenoid with
anterior clinoid processes
U. Ethmoid sinuses between orbits
V. Body of maxilla containing maxillary
sinuses
Facial Bones
A. Zygomatic prominence
B. Body of maxilla
C. Bony nasal septum
D. Anterior nasal spine
E. Zygomatic arch
F. Coronoid process (Fig. 11.78 only)
G. Condyle (head)
H. Mastoid process of temporal bone
I. Angle o mandible
J. Foramen magnum
Facial Bones

A. Zygomatic arch
B. Palatine process of maxilla
C. Horizontal process of palatine bone
D. Pterygoid hamulus of sphenoid
Facial Bones
E. Foramen ovale of sphenoid
F. Foramen spinosum of sphenoid
G. Foramen magnum
H. Petrous pyramid of temporal bone
I. Mastoid portion of temporal bone
J. Sphenoid sinus in body o sphenoid
K. Condyle (head) of mandible
L. Posterior border (vertical portion) of
palatine bone
M. Vomer or bony nasal septum
N. Right maxillary sinuses
O. Ethmoid sinuses
Facial Bones
A. Left nasal bone
B. Frontal process of left maxilla
C. Optic foramen
D. Superior orbital fissure
E. Inferior orbital fissure
F. Superior and middle nasal conchae of ethmoid bone
G. Vomer bone (lower portion of bony nasal septum)
H. Left inferior nasal conchae
I. Anterior nasal spine
J. Alveolar process of left maxilla
K. Alveolar process of left mandible
L. Mental foramen
M. Mentum or mental protuberance
N. Body of right mandible
O. Angle (gonion) of right mandible
P. Ramus of right mandible
Q. Body of right maxilla (contains maxillary sinuses)
R. Zygomatic prominence of right zygomatic bone
S. Outer orbit portion of right zygomatic bone
T. Sphenoid bone (cranial bone)
END