Asterion (anatomy)
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| Asterion (anatomy) | |
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| Side view of head, showing surface relations of bones. (Asterion visible at center right.) | |
| Gray's | subject #46 183 |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | a_67/12164991 |
- For other uses, see Asterion (disambiguation)
In human anatomy, the asterion is a visible, so-called craniometric, point on the exposed skull, just behind the ear, where three cranial sutures meet: the lambdoid, parieto-mastoid, and occipito-mastoid sutures.
Neurosurgeons use this point to orientate themselves, in order to plan safe entry into the skull for some operations.
Some surgeons call it the "Mercedes point", for its resemblance to the Mercedes-Benz logo.
[edit] External links
| Bones of head and neck: cranial sutures, fontanelles, and related regions |
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| cranial sutures: Coronal - Lambdoid - Occipitomastoid - Sphenofrontal - Sphenoparietal - Sphenosquamosal - Sphenozygomatic -Squamosal - Zygomaticotemporal - Zygomaticofrontal - Frontal/Metopic - Sagittal - Frontoethmoidal - Petrosquamous - Sphenoethmoidal - Sphenopetrosal
fontanelles: Anterior fontanelle - Posterior fontanelle foramina of multiple bones: Inferior orbital fissure - Foramen lacerum - Jugular foramen - Nasolacrimal canal Anterior cranial fossa - Middle cranial fossa - Posterior cranial fossa - Cranial cavity other compound structures: Asterion - Nasion - Pterion - Dacryon - Zygomatic arch - Calvaria - Infratemporal fossa - Stephanion - Pterygomaxillary fissure - Pterygopalatine fossa |
