Skull Base Anatomy

Chirag R Patel; Juan C Fernandez-Miranda; Wei-Hsin Wang; Eric W Wang

doi:10.1016/j.otc.2015.09.001

Skull Base Anatomy

Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2016 Feb;49(1):9-20. doi: 10.1016/j.otc.2015.09.001.

Authors

Chirag R Patel¹, Juan C Fernandez-Miranda², Wei-Hsin Wang³, Eric W Wang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 200 Lothrop Street, Suite 500, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Center for Cranial Base Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 200 Lothrop Street, Suite 500, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
² Center for Cranial Base Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 200 Lothrop Street, Suite 500, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Surgical Neuroanatomy Lab, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 200 Lothrop Street, PUH B-400, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
³ Surgical Neuroanatomy Lab, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 200 Lothrop Street, PUH B-400, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 200 Lothrop Street, Suite 500, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Center for Cranial Base Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 200 Lothrop Street, Suite 500, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. Electronic address: wangew@upmc.edu.

PMID: 26614826
DOI: 10.1016/j.otc.2015.09.001

Abstract

The anatomy of the skull base is complex with multiple neurovascular structures in a small space. Understanding all of the intricate relationships begins with understanding the anatomy of the sphenoid bone. The cavernous sinus contains the carotid artery and some of its branches; cranial nerves III, IV, VI, and V1; and transmits venous blood from multiple sources. The anterior skull base extends to the frontal sinus and is important to understand for sinus surgery and sinonasal malignancies. The clivus protects the brainstem and posterior cranial fossa. A thorough appreciation of the anatomy of these various areas allows for endoscopic endonasal approaches to the skull base.

Keywords: Anatomy; Cavernous; Cranial base; Endoscopic endonasal; Pituitary; Sella; Skull base.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Cavernous Sinus / anatomy & histology*
Cranial Fossa, Posterior / anatomy & histology*
Endoscopy / methods
Humans
Pituitary Gland / anatomy & histology*
Sphenoid Bone / anatomy & histology*
Sphenoid Sinus / anatomy & histology*