Foramen lacerum
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| Foramen lacerum | |
|---|---|
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| 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) | |
| Gray's | subject #47 192 |
The foramen lacerum (Latin for lacerated piercing) is a triangular hole in the base of the skull located at the base of the medial pterygoid plate.
[edit] Transit through the foramen lacerum
The internal carotid artery passes superiorly from the carotid canal in the base of the skull, emerging via that part of the foramen lacerum which is not occluded by cartilage.
The artery of pterygoid canal, the nerve of pterygoid canal and some venous drainage also pass through the foramen lacerum.
- The nerve of pterygoid canal comprises the deep petrosal nerve and the greater petrosal nerve the former carrying sympathetic fibres and the latter parasympathetic fibres of the autonomic nervous system to blood vessels, mucous membranes, salivary glands, and lacrimal glands.
- Furthermore, one of the terminal branches of the ascending pharyngeal artery (itself a branch of the external carotid artery) passes through the foramen lacerum. The ascending pharyngeal artery is one of three possible "meningeal branches" of this vessel.
- Lastly, some emissary veins pass through the foramen lacerum. These connect the extracranial pterygoid plexus with the intracranial cavernous sinus and present an unopposed route for infection.
[edit] External links
- SUNY Figs 22:5b-10 - "Internal view of skull."
- Photo of model at Waynesburg College skeleton/foramenlacerum
- cranialnerves at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (VII)
- Tauber M, van Loveren H, Jallo G, Romano A, Keller J (1999). "The enigmatic foramen lacerum". Neurosurgery 44 (2): 386–91; discussion 391–3. doi:10.1097/00006123-199902000-00083. PMID 9932893.
- Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34257.000-1
- Image at ucsd.edu
