• Skull

• Vertebral column
• Bony thorax
 The Skull
• The body’s most complex bony structure
• Formed by the cranium and facial bones

Crania bones

Facial bones
I. Cranium (8)
– Paired bones
• Temporal bones
• Parietal bones
– Unpaired bones
• Frontal bone
• Occipital bone
• Sphenoid bone
• Ethmoid bone
Functions of Cranium
1. protects the brain
2. Provide the site of attachment for head and neck
muscles
3. Provide openings for important structures
1) Spinal cord
2) Blood vessels serving the brain
3) 12 pairs of cranial nerves
II. Facial bones(15)
– Maxillae (2)
– Inferior nasal conchae(2)
– Zygomatic bones (2)
– Palatine bones (2)
– Lacrimal bones(2)
– Vomer(1)
– Nasal bones(2)
– Mandible(1)
– Hyoid bone (1)
II. Facial bones –Hyoid bone
Functions of facial bones
• Supply the framework of the face and the teeth.

• House and protect the sense organs of smell, sight,

and taste

• Provide the site of attachment for the facial muscles

of expression and mastication muscles, which can
act to facilitate eating, facial expression, breathing,
and speech.
Sutures of the skull
1. Sagittal
2. Coronal
3. Lambdoidal
4. Squamosal
 I. Cranium
Eight cranial bones – one frontal, two parietal, two
temporal, one occipital, one sphenoid, and ethmoid.

PARIETAL (2) FRONTAL (1)

SPHENOID (1)
OCCIPITAL (1)

TEMPORAL (2)
Pterion –exterior view

• Pterion is the area that marks

the junction between four
bones:

– parietal

– temporal

– sphenoid bone

– frontal bones
pterion
Pterion –interior view Middle MENINGEAL ARTERIES

Clinical significance
• the weakest part of the
skull
• the middle meningeal
artery runs beneath it on
the inner side of the skull.
• A blow to the pterion may
rupture the artery causing pterion

an epidural haematoma.
1. Frontal Bone
Two parts:
• a vertical portion (the squama
frontalis) corresponding with
the region of the forehead.
• an orbital (horizontal) portion,
which forms the roofs of the
orbital and nasal cavities.
1. Frontal Bone
• Articulates posteriorly with the
parietal bones via the coronal
suture
• Major markings :
• anterior cranial fossa
• supraorbital margins
• frontal sinuses
2. Parietal Bones
Four sutures mark the articulations
of the parietal bones
1. Coronal suture – articulation
between parietal bones and
frontal bone anteriorly
2. Lambdoid suture – where
parietal bones meet the
occipital bone posteriorly
3. Sagittal suture – where right
and left parietal bones meet
superiorly
4. Squamosal or squamous suture
– where parietal and temporal
bones meet
2. Parietal Bones - Lateral View
2. Parietal Bones – interior view

Grooves for ant.

Mid. And post.
Meningeal a.
Middle and posterior meninging arteries
3. Occipital Bone Superior nuchal line

• Forms most of skull’s posterior wall and base

Inferior nuchal line
• Major markings:
• foramen magnum
• posterior cranial fossa
• occipital condyles
• hypoglossal canal

posterior cranial
fossa
3. Occipital Bone - Posterior View
3. Occipital Bone -interior view
4. Temporal Bones
• Form the inferolateral aspects
of the skull and parts of the
cranial floor
• Divided into four major parts:
1. squamous
2. Tympanic
3. Mastoid
4. petrous
4. Temporal Bones – interior view
4. Temporal Bones
Major structures:
• Zygomatic process
• Styloid process
• Mastoid process
• Mandibular fossa
• Middle cranial fossa

Mastoid part
4. Temporal Bones
Major openings:
• Stylomastoid foramen
• External auditory meatus
• Internal auditory meatus
• Jugular foramen
• carotid canal
4. Temporal Bones
4. Temporal Bones - interior view
 5. Sphenoid Bone
• Forms the central wedge
that articulates with all
other cranial bones and
covers the width of the
middle cranial fossa.
• Butterfly-shaped bone that
consists of a central body,
greater wings, lesser wings,
and pterygoid processes
5. Sphenoid Bone
Major makings:
• sella turcica
• hypophyseal fossa
• pterygoid processes
Major openings
• foramen rotundum
• foramen ovale
• foramen spinosum
• optic canals
• superior orbital fissure
5. Sphenoid Bone- superior view
6. The Ethmoid Bone
• Most deep of the skull; lies between the sphenoid and nasal bones
• Forms most of the bony area between the nasal cavity and the orbits

5:Sphenoid bone
13: Ethmoid bone
6. Ethmoid Bone
Major markings:
• Crista galli
• Cribriform plate
• Perpendicular plate
• Superior nasal conchea
• Middle nasal conchae
• Ethmoid sinuses
6. Ethmoid Bone-Superior view
6. Ethmoid Bone- posterior view

crista galli

cribriform plate
6. Ethmoid Bone –medial view
II. Facial Bones
• Paired bones:
– maxillae
– Zygomatics
– Nasals
– lacrimals
– palatines
– inferior conchae
• Unpaired bones
– mandible
– vomer
– hyoid bones
1. Maxillary Bones
• Medially fused bones
that make up the
upper jaw and the
central portion of the
facial skeleton
• Facial keystone bones
that articulate with all
other facial bones
except the mandible
1. Maxillary Bones
The major markings:
• Frontal zygomatic processes
• palatine processes
• orbital surface
• inferior orbital foramen
• alveolar margins
• maxillary sinuses
1. Maxillary Bones
 2. Mandible
• The mandible (lower jaw
bone) is the largest,
strongest bone of the face
• major markings:
– coronoid process
– mandibular condyle
– mandibular notch
– mandibular angle
– ramus
– mandibular mental
foramen
– alveolar margin
2. Mandible
3. Zygomatic Bones
• Irregularly shaped bones
• Forms cheeks (prominences of the cheeks)
• Forms lower outer margin of orbits
3. Zygomatic Bones
• Articulates with
– Frontal
– Temporal
– Sphenoid
– maxillae
4. Palatine bones
• L-shaped bones
• Horizontal portion forms
posterior hard palate
• Vertical portion extends
between the maxillae and
the pterygoid plate of
sphenoid bone
4. Palatine bones
• Articulates with 2 cranial
bones (sphenoid and
ethmoid) and 3 facial bones
(maxillae, inf. conchae,
vermer)
4. Palatine bones
5. hyoid bone
• A horseshoe shaped bone
• situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the
chin and the thyroid cartilage.
6. Nasal bones
– thin medially fused
bones that form the
bridge of the nose
7. Lacrimal bones
• contribute to the
medial walls of the
orbit and contain a
deep groove called
the lacrimal fossa
that houses the
lacrimal sac
8. Vomer

• plow-shaped bone
that forms part of the
nasal septum
9. Inferior nasal conchae

• paired, curved bones in the nasal cavity that form

part of the lateral walls of the nasal cavity
III. Skull at Birth
Fontanelles
Fontanelles are soft spots on a
baby's head which, during birth,
enable the bony plates of the skull
to flex, allowing the child's head
to pass through the birth canal.
At birth there are 4 fontanelles
1. Anterior fontanell - bregma
2. Posterior fontanelle - lambda
3. Sphenoid fontanelle - pterion
4. Mastoid fontanelle
Closure of fontanelles
In humans, the sequence of fontanelle closure is as follows:
• The posterior fontanelle generally closes 1-3 months after birth;
• The sphenoidal fontanelle is the next to close around 6 months
after birth;
• The mastoid fontanelle closes next from 6 to 18 months after
birth; and
• The anterior fontanelle is generally the last to close between 7-
19 months.
IV Bones of the trank

Cervical

Thoracic

1. vertebrae Lumbar

Sacrum

2. rib Coccyx

3. sternum
 The number of Vertebrae

Number Child Adult

Cervical vertebrae 7 7
Thoracic vertebrae 12 12
Lumbar vertebrae 5 5
Sacral vertebrae 5 1
Coccygeal vertebrae 4 1
1. General Features of Vertebrae
Body

vertebral foramen (canal)

pedicle
vertebrae spinous process (1)
Arch laminae

process (7) transverse process (2)

articular process (4)

 2. Characteristics of Vertebrae in Each Region
(1) Cervical vertebrae
① Small body
② Transverse foramen(vertebral
a.&v.)
③ Bifucated transverse processes
④ Bifid spines （except C1,C7）
⑤ Horizontal articular facets
⑥ C1 (atlas), C2 (axis), C7 – with
vertebra prominence.
Cervical vertebrae
(2) Thoracic vertebrae
① Heart-shaped body of the
vertebrae
② Costal facets (2 on each side
of their bodies and 1 on
their transverse processes )
③ Sloping spines
④ Vertical articular facets
Thoracic vertebrae
(3) Lumbar vertebrae
① Large body
② Horizontal quadrilateral spines
③ vertical articular facets
 (4 ) The sacrum

①Formed by 5 fused
vertebrae
②Apex-downward
③Base- upward
④3 surfaces (ant.post. &
lat.)
⑤Promontory
⑥ Anterior sacral foramina

Anterior view
 The sacrum

1) Median sacral crest

2) Intermedial sacral crest
3) Lateral sacral crest
4) Posterior sacral
foramina
5) Sacral canal
6) Sacral hiatus
7) Sacral cornu (horns)
8) Auricular surface

Posterior view
(5 ) The coccyx
is the final segment of the ape vertebral column (tailbone).
Comprising three to five separate or fused vertebrae (the
coccygeal vertebrae) below the sacrum
 3. Ribs (Costae)
• The long curved bones which
form the rib cage.

• In most vertebrates, ribs

surround the chest, enabling the
lungs to expand and thus
facilitate breathing by expanding
the chest cavity.

• Protect the lungs, heart, and

other internal organs of the
thorax.
The Thoracic Cage • A bony and cartilaginous
structure which surrounds the
thoracic (chest) cavity
• Consists of 24 ribs, the
sternum, costal cartilages, and
the 12 thoracic vertebrae.

True Ribs (7)

False Ribs (8-10)

Floating Ribs (11-12)

Structures of ribs Posterior view
Anterior view
Two sulcus for subclavian v.& a. in 1st rib.
4. The Sternum
• Manubrium
• Jugular notch
• Sternal angle
• Body
• Xiphoid process