Bone: Sphenoid bone
Cranial Bones. Only the end of the wing of the sphenoid bone is visible
Sphenoid bone, upper surface.
Latin	os sphenoidale
Gray's	subject #35 147
MeSH	Sphenoid+Bone

The sphenoid bone (from Greek sphenoeides, "wedgelike") is a bone situated at the base of the skull in front of the temporals and basilar part of the occipital bone. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Introduction ( classes Long bones body or Diaphysis Medullary canal Medical Subject Headings ( MeSH) is a huge Controlled vocabulary (or metadata system for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books Bones are rigid organs that form part of the Endoskeleton of Vertebrates They function to move support and protect the various organs of the body produce The temporal bones are situated at the sides and base of the Skull. The occipital bone, a saucer-shaped membrane bone situated at the back and lower part of the cranium, is trapezoid in shape and curved on itself

The sphenoid bone somewhat resembles a butterfly or bat with its wings extended. A butterfly is an Insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a

Portions

It is divided into the following parts:

• a median portion, known as the body of sphenoid bone
• two greater wings and two lesser wings
• Pterygoid processes of the sphenoides which project from it posteriorly (below)

Two sphenoidal conchae are situated at the anterior and posterior part of the body. The body of the Sphenoid bone, more or less cubical in shape is hollowed out in its interior to form two large cavities the sphenoidal Air sinuses which The greater wing of the sphenoid bone, or ali-sphenoid The lesser wings of the Sphenoid or orbito-sphenoids are two thin triangular plates which arise from the upper and anterior parts of the body and projecting lateralward The pterygoid processes of the Sphenoid, one on either side descend perpendicularly from the regions where the body and great wings unite The sphenoidal conchae ( sphenoidal turbinated processes) are two thin curved plates situated at the anterior and lower part of the Body of the sphenoid.

Seven bones articulate to form the orbit. The sphenoid bone is one of them, labeled with pink

Named features

Various other named features of the sphenoid bone exist:

• pterygoid notch
• pterygoid fossa
• scaphoid fossa
• vaginal process
• pterygoid hamulus
• pterygoid canal
• pterygospinous process

The skull from the front. The pterygoid fossa is an Anatomical term for the Fossa formed by the divergence of the Lateral pterygoid plate and the Medial pterygoid plate In the Pterygoid processes of the sphenoid, above the Pterygoid fossa is a small oval shallow depression the scaphoid fossa, which gives origin to the Tensor The Medial pterygoid plate of the Sphenoid curves lateralward at its lower extremity into a hook-like process the pterygoid hamulus, around which the tendon of the The pterygoid canal (also vidian canal) is a passage in the skull leading from just anterior to the Foramen lacerum in the Middle cranial fossa to the The sphenoid is labeled with yellow to the left of the picture, both in the orbit and behind the zygomatic process

Additional images

Facial bones.	Lateral wall of nasal cavity, showing ethmoid bone in position.	Sphenoid bone visible center right.	Base of skull. Inferior surface.
Lateral view of the skull.	Horizontal section of nasal and orbital cavities.	Floor of the skull.	Roof, floor, and lateral wall of left nasal cavity.

See also

• Bone terminology
• Ossification of the sphenoid
• Pterygospinal ligament
• Terms for anatomical location

External links

• SUNY Figs 22:01-06 - "Lateral view of skull. Bones are rigid organs that form part of the Endoskeleton of Vertebrates They function to move support and protect the various organs of the body produce Until the seventh or eighth month of fetal life the body of the Sphenoid consists of two parts one in front of the tuberculum sellæ the presphenoid with which the small wings are continuous A fibrous band that spans the Sphenoid bone from its spine to the superior border of the Lateral pterygoid plate. In fields of Anatomy, anatomical terms of location are descriptive terms to help identify relative positions or directions within a species The State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, better known as SUNY Downstate Medical Center, is an academic medical center and is the only one of its kind "

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone Henry Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (or Gray's Anatomy as it has commonly been shortened is an English-language Human anatomy Textbook As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.