Sphenoidal emissary foramen
| Sphenoidal emissary foramen | |
|---|---|
Sphenoid bone. Upper surface. (Sphenoidal emissary foramen labeled at left, fourth from bottom.) | |
Base of the skull. Upper surface. (Sphenoid is yellow, and sphenoidal emissary foramen is labeled at bottom of sphenoid.) | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | foramen venosum |
| TA98 | A02.1.05.037 |
| TA2 | 623 |
| FMA | 53157 54785, 53157 |
| Anatomical terms of bone | |
In the base of the skull, in the great wings of the sphenoid bone, medial to the foramen ovale, a small aperture, the sphenoidal emissary foramen, may occasionally be seen (it is often absent) opposite the root of the pterygoid process. When present, it opens below near the scaphoid fossa. Vesalius was the first to describe and illustrate this foramen, and is also called the foramen Vesalius. Other names include foramen venosum and canaliculus sphenoidalis.