The basilar part of the occipital bone is that part which forms the floor of the cranial cavity, housing the brain. The basilar part meets the vomer and sphenoid bone in the anterior, and the temporal bones at the sides. The most apparent characteristic of the basilar part of the occipital bone is the large foramen magnum, a round opening in the bone which allows the spinal cord to pass through the skull. Research Basilar Part
The foramen lacerum is a small opening in the skull near the point of articulation between the sphenoid, occipital (basilar part) and temporal bones. This opening admits the inner carotid artery into the skull from below. Research Foramen Lacerum
The vomer is the thin, flat bone which forms the bottom and back portion of the bony septum in the nasal cavity. The vomer supports the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid bone, which forms the upper portion of this septum. The vomer extends past the palatine bone in the back of the mouth cavity, where its rearmost section, the ala, connects to the pterigoid process of the sphenoid bones and the forward section of the occipital bone, just in front of its basilar part. Research Vomer
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Basilar Part
