• Lateral radiographs of the skull allow visualization of su | Figure 1

ElsevierHealth

Some actions are only available when you log in.

Main Content

• Lateral radiographs of the skull allow visualization of superficial and deep landmarks concurrently.

• First, identify the coronal suture, which separates the frontal and parietal bones of the skull. The lambdoid suture is visible posteriorly, dividing the parietal from the occipital bones. Posterior and superficial to the lambdoid suture, note the external occipital protuberance on the occipital bone.

• Note that pneumatized bones, such as the maxilla (containing maxillary sinus), frontal bone (containing frontal sinus), sphenoid bone (containing sphenoid sinus), and mastoid process (containing mastoid air cells), appear radiolucent, or darker, than surrounding areas of the skull.

• Superior to the sphenoid sinus, the bony sella turcica houses the pituitary gland. Anterior to the sella turcica, the greater wing of the sphenoid bone is visible.

• Note the components of the mandible, including the more anteriorly positioned coronoid process and the more posteriorly located condyle.

• The cervical spine is also apparent, with the anterior arch of atlas (C1) and dens of axis (C2) clearly delineated.

Source: Atlas of Human Anatomy, 7th edition. ISBN: 9780323393225. Copyright ©2019 Elsevier, Inc.

Download a free sample of Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy

Trending Cases

young lady performs CT for evaluation of #Sinusoidal-obstruction-syndrome. Note absence of bone of the upper part of the #Sphenoid-sinus. MRI was the performed

Sagittal image from a contrast-enhanced head CT shows a prefrontal soft tissue mass (yellow arrow), opacification of the frontal sinus (red arrow), and a small locule of air deep to frontal bone at the soft tissue mass. The findings are typical of Potts Puffy Tumor. Potts puffy tumor is a complication of acute sinusitis with a subperiosteal subcutaneous abscess and osteomyelitis. The frontal sinus is the most common originating site of infection. #NeuroWednesday

(1) 3D-VRT image of the osseous skull base from above is shown. Anterior skull base is bounded by frontal bones anteriorly and the lesser wing of the sphenoid and planum sphenoidale posteriorly. Central skull base, with its multitude of fissures and foramina, is made up of sphenoid bone and anterior temporal bone. It is bounded anteriorly by the lesser wing of the sphenoid and posterior planum sphenoidale and posteriorly by the dorsum sellae and petrous ridge. (2) 3D-VRT image of the osseous skull base from below highlights sphenoid bone with the foramen ovale and spinosum and occipital bone with its occipital condyle. Notice the frontal bone is not seen, but instead, maxillary, palatine, and zygomatic bones are present anteriorly.

Reformatted and source images from an MR venogram shows a vessel (peroneal) extending from the subcutaneous tissue of the left frontal bone extending to the anterior aspect of the superior sagittal sinus. What is your diagnosis of this structure? #FridayQuizDay

Additional Information

• Title: Why you should join Figure 1
• Points:
  • Share your knowledge with our global community of healthcare professionals
  • Get help from experts in your field
  • Learn from our library of real-world cases and quizzes