Skull and cranial nerves

• sphenoidal fontanelle

  junction of squamous and coronal sutures

  
• mastoid fontanelle

  junction of squamous and lambdoid sutures

  
• anterior fontanelle

  frontal/metopic, sagittal, and coronal sutures

  
• posterior fontanelle

  junction of lambdoid and sagittal sutures

  
• closure time of the posterior fontanelle

  2-3 months after birth
• closure time of the sphenoidal fontanelle

  roughly 6 months after birth
• closure time of the mastoid fontanelle

  6-18 months after birth
• closure time of the anterior fontanelle

  12-24 months after birth
• frontal eminence


  prominence of the forehead

  
• supra-orbital ridges

  
• Supra-orbital notch

  
• nasal aperture

  
• zygomatic arch forms the

  cheek bone

  
• mastoid process palpation


  behind the ear

  
• head of the mandible

  
• head of mandible palpation

  in front of ear

  
• pterion

  H-shaped suture junction region that unites the frontal, parietal, temporal, and sphenoid bones

  
• posterior cranial fossa

  contains the cerebellum and brainstem

  
• middle cranial fossa

  holds the temporal lobes of the brain

  
• anterior cranial fossa

  holds the frontal lobes of the brain

  
• superior orbital fissure

  between greater and lesser wings of sphenoid

  
• contents of superior orbital fissure

  - ophthalmic veins

  - CN III, IV, V1 (ophthalmic) and VI

  
• inferior orbital fissure

  
• olfactory foramina

  holes in cribriform plate (part of ethmoid bone)

  
• contents of optic canal (2)

  - optic nerve (CN II)

  - ophthalmic artery

  
• optic canal


  in the sphenoid

  
• contents of olfactory foramina

  bundles of nerve fibres that make up the olfactory nerve (CN I)
• foramen magnum

  in the occipital bone

  
• jugular foramen

  
• internal acoustic meatus

  
• stylomastoid foramen

  
• foramen spinosum

  
• contents of foramen spinosum (2)

  - middle meningeal artery

  - meningeal branch of mandibular nerve
• foramen lacerum

  
• foramen ovale

  
• foramen rotundum

  
• external acoustic meatus

  
• carotid canal

  
• which foramen contains CN I (olfactory nerve)

  olfactory foramina
• which foramen contains CN II (optic nerve)

  optic canal