Foramen lacerum

Foramen lacerum
Base of the skull. Upper surface. (Foramen lacerum is labeled at center left, and is visible as the large hole between yellow sphenoid, red temporal, and blue occipital)
Details
Systemskeletal
Partstemporal bone, sphenoid bone, occipital bone
Identifiers
LatinForamen lacerum
TA98A02.1.00.055
TA2459
FMA54809
Anatomical terminology

The foramen lacerum (Latin: lacerated piercing) is a triangular hole in the base of skull. It is located between the sphenoid bone, the apex of the petrous part of the temporal bone, and the basilar part of the occipital bone.

Structure

The foramen lacerum (Latin: lacerated piercing) is a triangular hole in the base of skull. It is located between 3 bones:

  • the apex of petrous part of the temporal bone, forming the posterolateral border.[1]: 776 [2]
  • the basilar part of occipital bone, forming the posteromedial border.[1]: 776 

It is the junction point of 3 sutures of the skull:

It is situated anteromedial to the carotid canal.[1]: 776 

Development

The foramen lacerum fills with cartilage after birth.[1]: 776 

Function

The foramen lacerum transmits many structures, including:

The internal carotid artery passes from the carotid canal in the base of the skull, emerging and coursing superior to foramen lacerum as it exits the carotid canal. The internal carotid artery does not travel through foramen lacerum. The segment of the internal carotid artery that travels above foramen lacerum is called the lacerum segment.[4]

Clinical significance

The foramen lacerum has been described as a portal of entry into the cranium for tumours, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma, juvenile angiofibroma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, malignant melanoma, and lymphoma.[5][6]

History

The first recorded mention of the foramen lacerum was by anatomist Wenzel Gruber in 1869.[7][5] Study of the foramen has been neglected for many years because of the small role it plays in intracranial surgery.[5]

Additional images

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Drake, Richard L.; Vogl, Wayne; Tibbitts, Adam W.M. Mitchell; illustrations by Richard; Richardson, Paul (2005). Gray's anatomy for students. Philadelphia: Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone. ISBN 978-0-8089-2306-0.
  2. ↑ Chae, Ricky; Rubio, Roberto Rodriguez (2020). "14 - Anatomy of petrous face". Handbook of Clinical Neurology. Vol. 170. Elsevier. pp. 143–156. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-822198-3.00036-7. ISBN 978-0-12-822198-3. ISSN 0072-9752.
  3. ↑ Seker, Askin; Martins, Carolina; Rhoton, Albert L. (2010). "2 - Meningeal Anatomy". Meningiomas. Saunders. pp. 11–51. doi:10.1016/B978-1-4160-5654-6.00002-7. ISBN 978-1-4160-5654-6.
  4. ↑ Tubbs, R. Shane; Shoja, Mohammadali M.; Loukas, Marios (25 April 2016). Bergman's Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation. John Wiley & Sons. p. 450. ISBN 9781118430279.
  5. 1 2 3 Tauber, M; van Loveren, HR; Jallo, G; Romano, A; Keller, JT (February 1999). "The enigmatic foramen lacerum". Neurosurgery. 44 (2): 386–91, discussion 391-3. doi:10.1097/00006123-199902000-00083. PMID 9932893.
  6. ↑ Christodouleas, Boris Hristov, Steven H. Lin, John P. (2010). Radiation oncology : a question-based review. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 138. ISBN 978-1608314447.
  7. ↑ Gruber, Wenzel (1869). Beitrage Zur Anatomie Des Schadelgrundes. ISBN 9781162306223.
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