05 Cranial Cavity in Part 1

CRANIAL CAVITY
DR.KAUSHIK C
MBBS
DEPT OF ANATOMY
TOMCH& RC
The inside view of cranium is known as
cranial cavity
The cranial cavity contains the brain and its
surrounding meninges, portions of the cranial
nerves, arteries, veins, and venous sinuses
Bones that make up the cranial cavity
Cranial cavity is contained by the

frontal, parietal, sphenoid,
temporal and occipital bones, and
in part the ethmoid, all covered by
endosteal layer of dura mater
The cranial cavity is divided into three cranial fossa
1. Anterior cranial fossa which accommodates the anterior lobe
of brain.
2. Middle cranial fossa, much wider than the anterior cranial

fossa contain the 2 temporal lobes of brain.
3. Posterior cranial fossa is much shallower and wider than the

middle cranial fossa and it accommodates the occipital lobes of
the brain.
Anterior cranial fossa
Boundaries
Anteriorly and laterally
Frontal bone
Floor:
Orbital plate of frontal bone, ethmiod cribriform plate ,
anterior border of sphenoid’s lesser wings and crista galli
Posteriorly:
Posterior border of lesser wing of sphenoid, anterior clinoid
process and sulcus chiasmaticus.
NB
Crista galli
It is a sharp upward projection of ethmoid bone in the midline,
for the attachment of falx cerebri.
Foramen cecum
Small aperture between the crista galli and the crest of the
frontal bone
Middle cranial fossa
Boundaries
Anteriorly
Post border of the lesser wings of sphenoid, anterior clinoid
processes and sulcus chiasmaticus.
Posteriorly
Superior borders of petrous part of temporal and sphenoids
dorsum sella.
Laterally
Squamous part of temporal and some part if parietal and greater
wings of sphenoid.
Floor
Greater wing of sphenoid and petrous and squamous parts of the
temporal bone.
In the centre, floor is formed by the sella tursica of body of
sphenoid.
Posterior cranial fossa
Boundaries
Anteriorly
Superior border of the petrous part of temporal bone
and dorsum sallae.
Posteriorly
Internal surface of squamous part of the occipital bone.
Floor
Basilar, squamous & condylor parts of the occipital
bone & mastoid part
foramen magnum forms the central part of the floor.
The Dura mater
The Arachnoid mater
The Pia mater
Out to inward
ura
rachnoid
ia
The Dura Mater
The dura mater is conventionally described as two layers: the
endosteal layer and the meningeal layer. These are closely
united except along certain lines, where they separate to form
venous sinuses.
The endosteal layer is nothing more than the ordinary
periosteum covering the inner surface of the skull bones. It
does not extend through the foramen magnum to become
continuous with the dura mater of the spinal cord. Around the
margins of all the foramina in the skull it becomes continuous
with the periosteum on the outside of the skull bones. At the
sutures it is continuous with the sutural ligaments.
The meningeal layer is the dura
mater proper, covering the brain
and is continuous through the
endosteal layer foramen magnum with the dura
mater of the spinal cord. It
provides tubular sheaths for the
meningeal layer cranial nerves. Outside the skull
the sheaths fuse with the
epineurium of the nerves.
Dural infolding
The meningeal layer sends inward four septa that divide the cranial cavity into freely
communicating spaces lodging the subdivisions of the brain. The function of these septa is
to restrict the rotatory displacement of the brain
Falx cerebri
Tentorium cerebelli
Falx cerebelli
Diaphragma sellae
Falx Cerebri
The falx cerebri is a sickle-shaped
fold of dura mater that lies in the
midline between the two cerebral
hemispheres. Its narrow end in
front is attached to the internal
frontal crest and the crista galli. Its
broad posterior part blends in the
midline with the upper surface of
the tentorium cerebelli. The
superior sagittal sinus runs in its
upper fixed margin, the inferior
sagittal sinus runs in its lower
concave free margin, and the
straight sinus runs along its
attachment to the tentorium
cerebelli.
Tentorium Cerebelli
The tentorium cerebelli is
a crescent-shaped fold of
dura mater that roofs
over the posterior cranial
fossa. It covers the upper
surface of the cerebellum
and supports the occipital
lobes of the cerebral
hemispheres. In front is a
gap, the tentorial notch
Falx Cerebelli
The falx cerebelli is a
small, sickle-shaped
fold of dura mater
that is attached to the
internal occipital
crest and projects
forward between the
two cerebellar
hemispheres. Its
posterior fixed
margin contains the
occipital sinus.
Diaphragma sellae
The diaphragma
sellae is a small
circular fold of
dura mater that
forms the roof
for the sella
turcica. A small
opening in its
center allows
passage of the
stalk of the
pituitary gland.
Dural Nerve Supply
Branches of the trigeminal, vagus, and first three cervical nerves and branches
from the sympathetic system pass to the dura.
Dural Blood Supply
Internal carotid, maxillary, ascending pharyngeal, occipital, and vertebral arteries.

From a clinical standpoint, the most important is the middle meningeal artery, which is
commonly damaged in head injuries.
The Arachnoid Mater The arachnoid mater is a delicate,
Subdural Space impermeable membrane covering the brain
and lying between the pia mater internally
and the dura mater externally. It is separated
Subarachnoid Space CSF from the dura by a potential space, the
subdural space, and from the pia by the
subarachnoid space, which is filled with
cerebrospinal fluid.
Arachnoid Villi
Arachnoid Granulation
The arachnoid fuses with the epineurium of
the nerves at their point of exit from the skull.
In the case of the optic nerve, the arachnoid
forms a sheath for the nerve that extends into
the orbital cavity through the optic canal and
fuses with the sclera of the eyeball.
The Pia Mater
The pia mater is a vascular membrane that closely invests the brain, covering the
gyri and descending into the deepest sulci. It extends over the cranial nerves and
fuses with their epineurium. The cerebral arteries entering the substance of the
brain carry a sheath of pia with them.
Meningeal Spaces
Dura-skull extradural/epidural
Meningeal Spaces
Dura-arachnoid subdural
Meningeal Spaces
Arachnoid-pai subarachnoid

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CRANIAL CAVITY

Cranial cavity is contained by the

2. Middle cranial fossa, much wider than the anterior cranial

3. Posterior cranial fossa is much shallower and wider than the

Internal carotid, maxillary, ascending pharyngeal, occipital, and vertebral arteries.

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