Mastoid foramen

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Bone: Mastoid foramen
Left temporal bone. Inner surface. (Mastoid foramen labeled at bottom left.)
Base of the skull. Upper surface. (Temporal bone is pink, and label for mastoid foramen is at left, second from the bottom.)
Latin	foramen mastoideum
Gray's	subject #34 141
Dorlands/Elsevier	f_12/12373281

The outer surface of the temporal bone is perforated by numerous foramina; one of these, of large size, situated near the posterior border, is termed the mastoid foramen

It transmits a vein to the transverse sinus and a small branch of the occipital artery to the dura mater.

[edit] Variations

The position and size of this foramen are very variable; it is not always present; sometimes it is situated in the occipital bone, or in the suture between the temporal and the occipital.

[edit] Additional images

Base of skull. Inferior surface.

[edit] External links

• Dictionary at eMedicine Mastoid+foramen
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34257.000-1
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34257.000-2
• Variations

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 As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated.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