Calvaria (skull)
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(March 2014) |
| Calvaria (skull) | |
|---|---|
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| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | calvaria |
| TA98 | A02.1.00.032 |
| TA2 | 436 |
| FMA | 52800 |
| Anatomical terms of bone | |
Thecalvariais the top part of theskull.It is the superior part of theneurocraniumand covers thecranial cavitycontaining the brain. It forms the main component of theskull roof.
The calvaria is made up of the superior portions of thefrontal bone,occipital bone,andparietal bones.[1]In thehuman skull,thesuturesbetween the bones normally remain flexible during the first few years of postnatal development, andfontanellesare palpable. Premature complete ossification of these sutures is calledcraniosynostosis.
In Latin, the wordcalvariais used as a feminine noun with pluralcalvariae;however, many medical texts incorrectly list the word ascalvarium,a neuter Latin noun with pluralcalvaria.[2]
Structure
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The outer surface of the skull possesses a number of landmarks. The point at which the frontal bone and the two parietal bones meet is known as the bregma. The point at which the two parietal bones and the occipital bone meet is known as the lambda. Not only do these landmarks indicate thefontanellein newborns, they also act as reference points in medicine and surgery.
The inner surface of the skull-cap is concave and presents depressions for the convolutions of thecerebrum,together with numerous furrows for the lodgement of branches of the meningeal vessels. Along the middle line is a longitudinal groove, narrow in front, where it commences at the frontal crest, but broader behind; it lodges the superior sagittal sinus, and its margins afford attachment to thefalx cerebri. On either side of it are several depressions for thearachnoid granulations,and at its back part, the openings of theparietal foraminawhen these are present.
It is crossed in front by thecoronal sutureand behind by thelambdoid suture,while thesagittal suturelies in the medial plane between the parietal bones.
Layers
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Most bones of the calvaria consist of internal and external tables or layers of compact bone, separated bydiploë.The diploë is cancellous bone containing redbone marrowduring life, through which run canals formed bydiploic veins.The diploë in a dried calvaria is not red because the protein was removed during preparation of the cranium. The internal table of bone is thinner than the external table, and in some areas there is only a thin plate of compact bone with no diploë.[3]Calvarial bones are supplied by endosteal and periosteal sheaths which are innervated by the nociceptors, sensory, sympathetic, and parasympathetic nerves. Horizontal section of the mouse pups showed that the density of nerve fibers was highest in the region of forehead, temples, and the back of head which crossing the frontal, parietal, and interparietal bones. In the calvarial innervation in the adult mouse, CGRP-labeled fibers and peripherin were seen in the sutures, emissary canals, and bone marrow but not in diploe. Nerve fibers passing through the emissary canals and cavity of bone marrow provided the branches of periosteal and dural nerves whereas fibers from the sutures gave out to the dural nerves.[4]
Development
[edit]In the fetus, the formation of the calvaria involves a process known asintramembranous ossification.
In popular culture
[edit]In many translations of theGospels,Jesusis killed in a place named "Calvary",a reference to this body part.
References
[edit]- ^Tubbs RS, Bosmia AN, Cohen-Gadol AA (January 2012). "The human calvaria: a review of embryology, anatomy, pathology, and molecular development".Child's Nervous System.28(1): 23–31.doi:10.1007/s00381-011-1637-0.PMID22120469.S2CID38394369.
- ^"calvaria",Wiktionary, the free dictionary,2023-10-15,retrieved2024-03-09
- ^Moore KL, Daly AF, Agur AM, eds. (2010).Clinically Oriented Anatomy(6th ed.). Baltimore:Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.p. 1168.ISBN978-0-7817-7525-0.
- ^Kosaras B, Jakubowski M, Kainz V, Burstein R (July 2009)."Sensory innervation of the calvarial bones of the mouse".The Journal of Comparative Neurology(in French).515(3): 331–48.doi:10.1002/cne.22049.PMC2710390.PMID19425099.
Further reading
[edit]- Tubbs RS, Loukas M, Shoja MM, Apaydin N, Salter EG, Oakes WJ (April 2008) [20 Nov 2007]. "The intriguing history of the human calvaria: sinister and religious".Child's Nervous System.24(4).Springer-Verlag:417–22.doi:10.1007/s00381-007-0509-0.PMID18026961.S2CID895823.
External links
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- Cross section image: skull/calv-inf—Plastination Laboratory at the Medical University of Vienna
- Cross section image: skull/calv-sup—Plastination Laboratory at the Medical University of Vienna
- Calvaria
