Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the orbit. Its shape somewhat resembles that of a butterfly or bat
with its wings extended.
• The ethmoid bone (1) is a bone in the skull that separates the nasal
cavity from the brain. It is located at the roof of the nose, between
the two orbits. The cubical bone is light in weight due to its spongy
construction. The ethmoid bone is one of the bones that make up
the orbit of the eye. The ethmoid has three parts: the cribriform
plate, the ethmoidial labyrinth, and the perpendicular plate.
• Facial l (14)
• Maxillary bones (2) are the bones of the upper jaw that serve as a
foundation of the face and support the orbits. They form the floor
and medial portion of the orbit rim, walls of the nasal cavity, and
the anterior roof of the mouth (hard palate).
• Zygomatic bones (2) are found on each side of the skull, articulat-
ing with the frontal bone and the maxilla to complete the lateral
wall of the orbit. Along the lateral margin, each gives rise to a
slender bony extension that curves laterally and posteriorly to
meet a process from the temporal bone, together forming the
zygomatic arch.
• Palatine bones (2) form the posterior surface of the hard palate.
The superior surfaces of each horizontal portion contribute to the
floor of the nasal cavity. The superior tip of the vertical portion of
each forms a small portion of the inferior wall of the orbit.
• The mandible (1) forms the lower jaw. It is a bone forming the
skull with the cranium.
• Lacrimal bones (2) are located within the orbit on its medial
surface and articulate with the frontal, ethmoid, and maxillary
bones.
• Nasal bones (2) are two small, oblong bones, varying in size and
form in different individuals; they are located side by side in
the middle and upper part of the face. The nasal bones form the
bridge of the nose and articulate with the superior frontal bone
and the maxillary bones.
• Inferior nasal conchae (2) are among the turbinates in the nose.
They extend horizontally along the lateral wall of the nasal cav-
ity and consist of a lamina of spongy bone, curled upon itself
like a scroll. Each inferior nasal concha is considered a facial pair
of bones since they arise from the maxillary bones and project
horizontally into the nasal cavity.
• The vomer (1) is one of the unpaired facial bones of the skull. It is
located in the midsagittal line and articulates with the sphenoid,
the ethmoid, the left and right palatine bones, and the left and
