Cranial fossa

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
FMA	321144
Anatomical terminology

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

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 housing the temporal lobe
• Posterior cranial fossa (fossa cranii posterior), between the foramen magnum and tentorium cerebelli, containing the brainstem and cerebellum

Additional images

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  Animation.
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  Illustration.
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  Superior view and lateral view.

See also

• Anatomical terms of location § Cranial and caudal
• Fossa (anatomy)