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Cranial fossae & skull base: labelled teaching diagram. Original labels and colours retained.
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Foramen magnum

Locate foramen magnum on this anatomical reference. Read the original plate labels to confirm the view and adjacent structures.

Zoom in, then drag to inspect. Keyboard: + / − to zoom, arrows to pan, 0 to reset. Tap the numbered markers to explore parts.

Cranial fossae & skull base: labelled teaching diagram. Original labels and colours retained.

Image: OpenStax College / university open textbook · Source / original · CC BY 4.0

Numbered markers and focused views are Mediveerse learning overlays; the original reference is linked above.

Cranial fossae & skull base

Regional overviews

Cranial fossae & skull base

STRUCTURE & FUNCTION

Understand what you see.

Supports brain regions and transmits cranial nerves and vessels.

Zoom into the original labels. Practise pointing out each structure, then explain it aloud. Diagrams are teaching references; specimen appearance and slide staining vary.

01 / IDENTIFICATION

How to recognise it.

  1. Internal skull base has anterior, middle and posterior fossae
  2. Foramen magnum opens in the posterior fossa
  3. Sella turcica occupies the central middle-fossa region
02 / KEY STRUCTURES

Point them out.

Tap a number to open its reference, zoom in and locate the structure. Numbers stay the same across views. This key follows landmarks visible in the reference images.

Related features & study points (3)

Additional relations, attachments or microscopic details to revise alongside this plate. These are separate from its numbered image landmarks.

03 / VIVA PRACTICE

Think first. Then reveal.

Say your answer aloud before opening the suggested response.

Examiner-style prompts: identify the structure, explain its relations, then answer the applied follow-up. These are revision questions, not authenticated past papers.

01How would you identify cranial fossae & skull base?
SUGGESTED ANSWER

Internal skull base has anterior, middle and posterior fossae. Foramen magnum opens in the posterior fossa. Sella turcica occupies the central middle-fossa region.

02Which trigeminal division passes through foramen ovale?
SUGGESTED ANSWER

The mandibular division (V3); V2 passes through foramen rotundum.

03Which nerve passes through the hypoglossal canal?
SUGGESTED ANSWER

Hypoglossal XII.

04Why is the statement ICA passes through foramen lacerum misleading?
SUGGESTED ANSWER

The internal carotid artery passes over its superior aspect after emerging from the carotid canal; the central foramen is largely cartilage-filled in life.

05Name the cranial nerves in the jugular foramen.
SUGGESTED ANSWER

IX, X and XI.

Read the references.

Credited anatomical plates, microscopy and university teaching references. Individual image credits appear below the viewer. Historical plates can use older terminology; use the lesson text for current names.