The mastoid foramen is a hole in the posterior border of the temporal bone. It transmits an emissary vein between the sigmoid sinus and the suboccipital venous plexus, and a small branch of the occipital artery, the posterior meningeal artery to the dura mater.

Mastoid foramen
Left temporal bone. Inner surface. (Mastoid foramen labeled at bottom left.)
Base of the skull. Upper surface. (Temporal bone is pink, and label for mastoid foramen is at left, second from the bottom.)
Details
Part ofTemporal bone of skull
SystemSkeletal
Identifiers
Latinforamen mastoideum
TA98A02.1.06.008
TA2649
FMA53159
Anatomical terms of bone

Structure

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The mastoid foramen is a hole in the posterior border of the temporal bone of the skull.[1]

The opening of the mastoid foramen is an average of 18 mm from the asterion,[2] and around 34 mm from the external auditory meatus.[3] It is typically very narrow.[1][3] This may be around 2 mm.[3]

Variation

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The position and size of this foramen are very variable.[1][3] It is not always present.[1][3] Sometimes, it is duplicated on one side or both sides.[1] Sometimes, it is situated in the occipital bone, or in the suture between the temporal bone and the occipital bone.

Function

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The mastoid foramen transmits:

References

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  This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 141 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wang, Cindy; Lockwood, Joseph; Iwanaga, Joe; Dumont, Aaron S.; Bui, C. J.; Tubbs, R. Shane (June 2021). "Comprehensive review of the mastoid foramen". Neurosurgical Review. 44 (3): 1255–1258. doi:10.1007/s10143-020-01329-9. ISSN 0344-5607. PMID 32507931. S2CID 219529416.
  2. ^ a b c Hampl, Martin; Kachlik, David; Kikalova, Katerina; Riemer, Roxane; Halaj, Matej; Novak, Vlastimil; Stejskal, Premysl; Vaverka, Miroslav; Hrabalek, Lumir; Krahulik, David; Nanka, Ondrej (2018-07-01). "Mastoid foramen, mastoid emissary vein and clinical implications in neurosurgery". Acta Neurochirurgica. 160 (7): 1473–1482. doi:10.1007/s00701-018-3564-2. ISSN 0942-0940. PMID 29779186. S2CID 29158669.
  3. ^ a b c d e Kim, Won Sik; Kim, Soo Il; Kim, Sun; Zheng, Guo Dong; Yang, Eun Jin; Han, Seung Ro (2000-03-31). "Mastoid Foramen and Superficial Mastoid Canals of Korean Men". Korean Journal of Physical Anthropology. 13 (1): 11–19. doi:10.11637/kjpa.2000.13.1.11.
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