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Topographical Anatomy of the Head

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Skull vault

skin
subcutneous connective tissue		nerves and blood vessels
galea aponeurotica
loose subgalear connective tissue		(enables scalping)
pericranium
lamina externa calvariae		vv. emissariae
diploe		vv. diploicae
lamina interna calvariae		vv. emissariae, granulationes arachnoideae
dura mater cranialis		sinus sagittalis superior
arachnoidea mater cranialis
pia mater cranialis

Orbita

cranially: pars orbitalis o. frontalis (fovea trochlearis + spina trochlearis, incisura/foramen frontalis/supraorbitalis, fossa glandulae lacrimalis), ala minor o. sphenoidalis (fissura orbitalis sup.)

medially: processus frontalis maxillae (fossa sacci lacrimalis), os lacrimale, lamina orbitalis o. ethmoidalis (aoramina ethm.ant. et post.), ala minor o. sphenoidalis

laterally: facies orbitalis o. zygomatici (foramen zygomaticoorbitale), facies orbitalis alae majoris o. sphenoidalis

caudally: facies orbitalis o. zygomatici, facies orbitalis corporis maxillae (sulcus et canalis infraorbitalis, fissura orbitalis inf.), processus orbitalis o. palatini

Aditus orbitae → apex orbitae

Orbita is divided by theoretical planes into 3 levels.

upper level (floor is formed by m. levator palpebrae superioris)

n. et vasa lacrimalia glandula lacrimalis (pars orbitalis)

n. frontalis (

» n. supraorbitalis + n. supratrochlearis)

vasa supraorbitalia vasa supratrochlearia n. trochlearis m. levator palpabrae superioris (+ m. tarsalis sup.)

corpus adiposum orbitae

middle level (ceiling is formed by m. rectus bulbi sup., floor by theoretical level of n. opticus)

mm. recti bulbi (sup.,med., lat.), m. obliquus bulbi sup. n. opticus, vasa centralia retinae n. nasociliaris (» nn. ethmoidales ant. et post., nn. ciliares longi, n. infratrochlearis), r. sup. n. oculomotorii, n. abducens, ggl. ciliare (» nn. ciliares breves) a. ophthalmica (» a. ethmoidalis ant. et post., aa. ciliares posteriores breves et longae., aa. palpebrales med.) plexus ophthalmicus v. ophthalmica sup. gl. lacrimalis (pars palpebralis)

corpus adiposum orbitae

lower level

m. rectus bulbi inf.(+ m. tarsalis inf.), m. obliquus bulbi inf. r. inferior n. oculomotorii, n. infraorbitalis, n. zygomaticus (» r. communicans cum n. lacrimali) vasa infraorbitalia v. ophthalmica inf. m. orbitalis saccus lacrimalis

corpus adiposum orbitae

bulbus oculi (venrtally)

Anulus tendineus communis (Zinni)
(Common tendinous ring)

tissue cover encycling the canalis opticus and inner and lower part of fissura orbitalis superior

origin of eyeball muscles

canalis opticus

n. opticus

a. ophthalmica

plexus ophhtalmicus

fissura orbitalis superior

n. oculomotorius (both branches)

n. abducens

n. nasociliaris

origin of all the mm. recti bulbi

Sinus cavernosus

venous sinus stretched from fissura orbitalis superior to apex partis petrosi ossis temporalis (width 1cm, length 2 cm)

a. carotis interna (+ plexus caroticus internus)

n. abducens (mediocaudally)

n. oculomotorius, n. trochlearis, n. ophthalmicus (n.

V/1), n. maxillaris (n. V/2) (descendentally in the lateral wall)

Cavitas nasi ossea

(Bony nasal cavity)

cranially: cartilagines nasi laterales, ossa nasalia, pars nasalis o. frontalis, lamina cribrosa o. ethmoidalis, corpus o. sphenoidalis

aterally:cartilago alaris major et nasi lateralis, processus frontalis + facies nasalis maxillae, os lacrimale, labyrintus ethmoidalis, lamina perpendicularis o. palatini, lamina medialis processus pterygoidei o. sphenoidalis

caudally: palatum durum (processus palatini maxillae (os incisivum), lamina horizontalis o. palatini), palatum molle

septum: pars membranacea, pars cartiklaginea (cartilago septi nasi), pars ossea (lamina perpendicularis o. ethmoidalis, vomer)

Apertura piriformis → Choanae

» conchae nasales (sup., med., inf.) divide the space into:

meatus nasi superior – recessus sphenoethmoidalis (small concha nas. suprema), apertura sisus sphenoidalis

meatus nasi medius – hiatus semilunaris (antrum Highmori), infundibulum ethmoidale, ductus frontonasalis

meatus nasi inferior – apertura ductus nasolacrimalis

meatus nasi communis - (common part without the conchae at the septum nasi)

meatus nasopharyngeus - (common part behind the conchae)

Fossa temporalis			laterally: arcus zygomaticus, fascia temporalis cranially: linea temporalis superior ventrally: facies temporalis o. zygomatici caudally: crista infratemporalis o. sphenoidalis medially: squama o. temporalis, facies temporalis alae majoris o. sphenoidalis	pterion (punctum Sylvii) – four sutures meet here m. temporalis nn. temporales (←n. V/3) (medially of the m. temporalis) aa. temporales prof. (ant. et post.) a. temporalis media (pierces the fascia) r. zygomaticotemporalis n. zygomatici (←n.V/2) (s mall branch of a. lacrimalis) corpus adiposum buccae /Bichati/ - processus temporalis
Fossa infratemporalis			cranially: facies infratemporalis alae majoris o. sphenoidalis (foramen ovale + spinosum), squama o. temporalis ventrally: facies infratemporalis maxillae (tuber maxillae) dorsally:opens in spatium prestyloideum medially: lamina laterally: proc. pterygoidei o. sphenoidalis, proc. pyramidalis o. palatini laterally: ramus mandibulae cranially: fissura orbitalis inf., fissura pterygomaxillaris	m. temporalis a. maxillaris + its branches (pars mandibularis + pterygoidea) plexus pterygoideus (medially of m. temporalis and laterally of m. pterygoideus lat.) + its tributaries m. pterygoideus med. and lat., ggl. oticum + n. petrosus minor, n. mandibularis (n. V/3) + its branches, chorda tympani (medially) foramen mandibulae – n. alveolaris inf (←n. V/3) + vasa alveolaria inf. (laterally) lymph vessels corpus adiposum buccae /Bichati/
Fossa pterygopalatina			cranially: facies maxillaris alae majoris o. sphenoidalis ventrally: facies infratemporalis maxillae (fissura orbitalis inferior) medially: lamina perpendicularis o. palatini (foramen sphenopalatinum) dorsally: proc. pterygoideus (canalis pterygoideus + palatovaginalis) laterally: fissura pterygomaxillaris caudally: canalis palatinus major	ggl. pterygopalatinum (+ n. canalis pterygoidei) n. maxillaris + its branches a. maxillaris + its branches (pars pterygopalatina) tributaries to plexus pterygoideus
Spatium pterygomandibulare			medially: lateral surface of m. pterygoideus med. laterally: medial surface of ramus mandibulae dorsally: glandula parotis	n. et vasa alveolaria inferiora n. lingualis (ventromedially) + chorda tympani
		Spatium prestyloideum	cranially: basis cranii (facies infratemporalis o. sphenoidalis, squama o. temporalis) dorsally: septum styloideum ventrally: opens to fossa infratemporalis laterally: medial surface of m. pterygoideus med. medially: pharyngeal wall, fascia buccopharyngea caudally: opens to the area of trigonum caroticum at the level of venter post. m. digastrici	a. palatina ascendens a. carotis ext. (divides into a. maxillaris + a. temporalis superficialis at the level of collum mandibulae) glandula parotis, v. retromandibularis, branches of n. facialis (lat. border)
		Spatium retrostyloideum	cranially: basis cranii (pars petrosa o. temporalis) ventrally: septum styloideum dorsally: lamina prevertebralis fascie cervicalis medially: opens to spatium retropharyngeum laterally: medial surface of m. sternocleidomastoideus caudally: opens to the area of trigonum caroticum at the level of venter post. m. digastrici	a. carotis int. v. jugularis int. n. glossopharyngeus, n. vagus (+ plexus pharyngeus, n. laryxngeus sup.) , n. accessorius, n. hypoglossus, ansa cervicalis profunda vasa pharyngea ascendenta, plexus (venosus) pharyngeus et vv. pharyngeae plexus caroticus internus (+ n. petrosus profundus) truncus sympathicus (v lamina prevertebralis fasciae cervicalis) + ganglion cervicale superius
	Spatium retropharyngeum		cranially: skull base (basis o. occipitalis) ventrally: posterior pharyngeal wall dorsally: lamina prevertebralis fasciae cervicalis (and m. longus colli et capitis behind it) laterally: opens to spatium retrostyloideum caudally: opens to the space behind the esophageus downwards up to mediastinum superius	loose connective tissue plexus pharyngeus nodi lymphoidei retropharyngeales (two nodes at the level of C2 frequetly) rr. pharyngeales a. pharyngeae ascendentis, vv. pharyngeae a plexus (venosus) pharyngeus
Septum styloideum			stretches dorsolaterally covered with lamina pretrachealis fasciae cervicalis	m. stylopharyngeus m. styloglossus processus styloideus (lig. stylohyoideum) m. stylohyoideus venter post. m. digastrici m. sternocleidomastoideus