Cranial fossa

A cranial fossa is formed by the floor of the cranial cavity.

Cranial fossa
Three cranial fossae and its boundaries.
  Purple: Anterior cranial fossa
  Blue: Middle cranial fossa
  Green: Posterior cranial fossa

Boundaries
1: Sphenoidal limbus (anterior margin of the chiasmatic groove)
2: Posterior borders of the lesser wings of the sphenoid
3: Dorsum sellae of the sphenoid bone
4: Superior borders of the petrous part of the temporal bone

5: Groove for transverse sinus of the occipital bone
Identifiers
FMA321144
Anatomical terminology

There are three distinct cranial fossae:

  • Anterior cranial fossa (fossa cranii anterior), housing the projecting frontal lobes of the brain
  • Middle cranial fossa (fossa cranii media), separated from the posterior fossa by the clivus and the petrous crest
  • Posterior cranial fossa (fossa cranii posterior), between the foramen magnum and tentorium cerebelli, containing the brainstem and cerebellum

Additional images
  • Animation.
  • Illustration.
  • Superior view and lateral view.
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See also
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