foramen /fo·ra·men/ (fo-ra´men) pl. fora´mina [L.] a natural opening or passage, especially one into or through a bone.
aortic foramen aortic hiatus.
apical foramen of tooth an opening at or near the apex of the root of a tooth, giving passage to the vascular, lymphatic, and neural structures supplying the pulp.
auditory foramen, external external acoustic meatus.
auditory foramen, internal a passage for the auditory and facial nerves in the petrous bone.
foramen of Bochdalek pleuroperitoneal hiatus.
cecal foramen , foramen ce´cum
1. a blind opening between the frontal crest and the crista galli.
2. a small triangular expansion at the lower border of the pons, formed by the termination of the anterior median fissure of the medulla oblongata.
3. a depression on the dorsum of the tongue at the median sulcus.
cotyloid foramen a passage between the margin of the acetabulum and the transverse ligament.
epiploic foramen an opening connecting the two sacs of the peritoneum, below and behind the porta hepatis.
esophageal foramen see under hiatus.
ethmoidal foramina , fora´mina ethmoida´lia small openings in the ethmoid bone at the junction of the medial wall with the roof of the orbit, the anterior transmitting the nasal branch of the ophthalmic nerve and the anterior ethmoid vessels, and the posterior transmitting the posterior ethmoid vessels.
incisive foramen one of the openings of the incisive canals into the incisive fossa of the hard palate.
infraorbital foramen a passage for the infraorbital nerve and artery.
interventricular foramen a communication between the lateral and third ventricles.
intervertebral foramen a passage for a spinal nerve and vessels that is formed by notches on pedicles of adjacent vertebrae.
jugular foramen an opening formed by the jugular notches on the temporal and occipital bones.
foramen of Key and Retzius an opening at the end of each lateral recess of the fourth ventricle by which the ventricular cavity communicates with the subarachnoid space.
lacerate foramen, anterior an elongated cleft between the wings of the sphenoid bone, transmitting nerves and vessels.
lacerate foramen, middle f. lacerum.
lacerate foramen, posterior jugular f.
foramen la´cerum a gap formed at the junction of the great wing of the sphenoid bone, tip of the petrous part of the temporal bone, and basilar part of the occipital bone.
foramen of Magendie a deficiency in the lower part of the roof of the fourth ventricle through which the ventricular cavity communicates with the subarachnoid space.
foramen mag´num a large opening in the anterior inferior part of the occipital bone, between the cranial cavity and vertebral canal.
mastoid foramen an opening in the temporal bone behind the mastoid process.
medullary foramen vertebral f.
nutrient foramen any of the passages admitting nutrient vessels to the medullary cavity of bone.
obturator foramen the large opening between the os pubis and ischium.
olfactory foramina any of the many openings of the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone.
omental foramen epiploic f.
optic foramen
1. (of sclera) lamina cribrosa (3).
2. (of sphenoid bone) see under canal.
foramen ova´le
1. a fetal opening between the heart's atria.
2. an aperture in the great wing of the sphenoid for vessels and nerves.
palatine foramen, greater the lower opening of the greater palatine canal, found laterally on the horizontal plate of each palatine bone, transmitting a palatine nerve and artery.
palatine foramina, lesser the openings of the lesser palatine canals behind the palatine crest and the greater palatine foramina.
pterygopalatine foramen
quadrate foramen f. venae cavae.
foramen rotun´dum os´sis sphenoida´lis a round opening in the great wing of sphenoid for the maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve.
Scarpa's foramen an opening behind each upper medial incisor, for the nasopalatine nerve.
sciatic foramen either of two foramina, the greater and the lesser sciatic foramina, formed by the sacrotuberal and sacrospinal ligaments in the sciatic notch of the hip bone.
sphenopalatine foramen
1. a space between the orbital and sphenoidal processes of the palatine bone, opening into the nasal cavity, and transmitting the sphenopalatine artery and nasal nerves.
spinous foramen a hole in the great wing of the sphenoid for the middle meningeal artery.
stylomastoid foramen an opening between the styloid and mastoid processes for the facial nerve and the stylomastoid artery.
supraorbital foramen a passage in the frontal bone for the supraorbital artery and nerve; often present as a notch bridged only by fibrous tissue.
thebesian foramina minute openings in the walls of the right atrium through which the smallest cardiac veins empty into the heart.
thyroid foramen
1. an inconstant opening in the thyroid cartilage, due to incomplete union of the fourth and fifth branchial cartilages.
2. obturator f.
foramen ve´nae ca´vae an opening in the diaphragm for the inferior vena cava and some branches of the right vagus nerve.
venous foramen
1. f. venae cavae.
2. f. of Vesalius.
vertebral foramen the large opening in a vertebra formed by its body and arch.
foramen of Vesalius an occasional opening medial to the foramen ovale of the sphenoid, for passage of a vein from the cavernous sinus.
Weitbrecht's foramen a foramen in the capsule of the shoulder joint.
foramen of Winslow epiploic f.
zygomaticofacial foramen the opening on the anterior surface of the zygomatic bone for the zygomaticofacial nerves and vessels.
zygomaticotemporal foramen an opening on the temporal surface of the zygomatic bone.
zy·go·mat·i·co·fa·cial foramen (z  g -m t -k -f  shl)n. The opening on the lateral surface of the zygomatic bone, transmitting the zygomaticofacial nerve. |
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