Foramen rotundum
| Foramen rotundum of Sphenoid | |
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Sphenoid bone. Upper surface. (Foramen rotundum labeled at center left)
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| File:Foramen rotundum.png
Base of the skull. Upper surface. Sphenoid is yellow, and arrows indicate the foramen rotundum.)
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| Details | |
| Latin | foramen rotundum ossis sphenoidalis |
| Identifiers | |
| Dorlands /Elsevier |
f_12/12373564 |
| TA | Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 744: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| TH | {{#property:P1694}} |
| TE | {{#property:P1693}} |
| FMA | {{#property:P1402}} |
| Anatomical terms of bone
[[[d:Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 863: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|edit on Wikidata]]]
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The foramen rotundum is a circular hole in the sphenoid bone that connects the middle cranial fossa and the pterygopalatine fossa.
Contents
Structure
The foramen rotundum is one of the several circular apertures (the foramina) located in the base of the skull, in the anterior and medial part of the sphenoid bone.
The mean area of the foramina rotunda is not considerable, which may suggest that they play a minor role in the dynamics of blood circulation in the venous system of the head.[1]
Development
The foramen rotundum evolves in shape throughout the fetal period, and from birth to adolescence. It achieves a perfect ring-shaped formation in the fetus after the 4th fetal month. It is mostly oval-shaped in the fetal period, and round-shaped after birth (generally speaking). After birth, the rotundum is about 2.5 mm and in 15- to 17-year olds about 3 mm in length. The average diameter of the foramen rotundum in adults is 3.55 mm. This was according to a developmental study published in The Hokkaido Journal of Medical Science on the foramen ovale, the foramen spinosum and the foramen rotundum, and according to a study about the postnatal enlargement of the foramina rotundum, ovale and spinosum and their topographical changes published in the Anatomischer Anzeiger.[2][3]
Function
The maxillary branch (V2) of the trigeminal nerve (CN V) passes through and exits the skull via the pterygopalatine fossa and the foramen rotundum.
History
Etymology
Foramen is the Latin term designating a hole-like opening. It derives from the Latin forare meaning to bore or perforate. Here, the opening is round as indicated by the Latin rotundum meaning round.
Additional images
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Horizontal section of nasal and orbital cavities.
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Medial wall of left orbit. The lowest label among those at upper right of the image reads Probe in foramen rotundum.
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Base of skull 13.jpg
Foramen rotundum
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Skull foramina labeled.svg
Labeled image of interior skull base.
See also
References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
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External links
- Anatomy photo:22:os-0905 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center
- cranialnerves at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (V)
- Superior view of the base of the skull at winona.edu
