Carotid canal

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Bone: Carotid canal
Left temporal bone. Inferior surface. ("Opening of carotid canal" labeled at center left.)
Latin	canalis caroticus
Gray's	subject #34 143
Dorlands/Elsevier	c_04/12208545

On the interior surface of the temporal bone, behind the rough surface of the apex, is the large circular aperture of the carotid canal, which ascends at first vertically, and then, making a bend, runs horizontally forward and medialward; it transmits into the cranium the internal carotid artery, and the carotid plexus of nerves.

Sympathetics to the head also pass through the carotid canal. They have several motor functions: raise the eyelid (superior tarsal muscle), dilate pupil, innervate sweat glands of face and scalp and constricts blood vessels in head.

[edit] Additional images

Horizontal section of nasal and orbital cavities.

Coronal section of right temporal bone.

[edit] External links

• Atlas of anatomy at UMich n3a8p1
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34257.000-1
• Photo at Winona.edu

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

v • d • e Bones of head and neck: the cranium

occipital bone: Foramen magnum - Squama occipitalis (Inion - Nuchal lines - Planum occipitale - Planum nuchale - Cruciform eminence - Internal occipital protuberance - Sagittal sulcus - Internal occipital crest) Lateral parts (Occipital condyle - Hypoglossal canal - Condyloid fossa - Condylar canal - Jugular process - Jugular tubercle) - Basilar part (Pharyngeal tubercle) parietal bone: Parietal eminence - Temporal line - Parietal foramen frontal bone: Squama frontalis (Frontal suture - Frontal eminence - Superciliary arches - Glabella - Supraorbital foramen - Zygomatic process - Sagittal sulcus - Frontal crest - Foramen cecum) Pars orbitalis (Ethmoidal notch - Lacrimal fossa - Trochlear fovea - Posterior ethmoidal foramen - Anterior ethmoidal foramen - Frontal sinus - Frontonasal duct) temporal bone: Squama temporalis (Articular tubercle - Suprameatal triangle - Mandibular fossa - Petrotympanic fissure) - Mastoid portion (Mastoid foramen Mastoid process - Mastoid notch - Occipital groove - Sigmoid sulcus - Mastoid antrum) Petrous portion (Facial canal - Hiatus of the facial canal - Internal auditory meatus - Subarcuate fossa - Carotid canal - Aqueduct of cochlea - Jugular fossa - Inferior tympanic canaliculus - Mastoid canaliculus - Styloid process - Stylomastoid foramen - Petrosquamous suture) - Tympanic part (Suprameatal spine) - Zygomatic process sphenoid bone: Body Superior surface (Ethmoidal spine, Chiasmatic groove, Optic foramen, Sella turcica, Fossa hypophyseos, Middle clinoid process, Dorsum sellae, Posterior clinoid processes, Petrosal process, Clivus) Lateral surface (Carotid groove - Sphenoidal lingula) - Anterior surface (Sphenoidal sinuses) Great wings (Spine, Foramen rotundum, Foramen ovale, Foramen Vesalii, Foramen spinosum, Infratemporal crest, Sulcus tubae auditivae) - Small wings (Superior orbital fissure, Anterior clinoid process, Optic foramen) Pterygoid processes (Pterygoid fossa, Scaphoid fossa, Lateral pterygoid plate, Medial pterygoid plate, Pterygoid canal, Pterygoid hamulus) - Sphenoidal conchae ethmoid bone: Cribriform plate (Crista galli) - Perpendicular plate - Labyrinth (Ethmoid sinus) - Lateral surface Lamina papyracea - Uncinate process - Medial surface Middle nasal concha - Superior meatus - Superior nasal concha - Middle meatus

v • d • e Foramina of skull (and canals and fissures)

foramina: cecum - ethmoidal (anterior, posterior) - incisive - jugular - lacerum - magnum - mandibular - mastoid - mental - optic - orbital (infraorbital, supraorbital) - ovale - palatine (greater, lesser) - parietal - rotundum - sphenopalatine - spinosum - stylomastoid - zygomaticofacial - zygomaticotemporal canals: carotid - condylar - hypoglossal - incisive - pterygoid fissures: orbital (inferior, superior) - petrotympanic external acoustic meatus - internal acoustic meatus - cribriform plate