Foramen
Encyclopedia
In anatomy
, a foramen (pl. foramina) is any opening. Foramina inside the body
of humans
and other animals typically allow muscle
s, nerve
s, arteries
, vein
s, or other structures to connect one part of the body with another.
has numerous foramina through which nerves, arteries, veins and other structures pass.
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
, a foramen (pl. foramina) is any opening. Foramina inside the body
Body
With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...
of humans
Human body
The human body is the entire structure of a human organism, and consists of a head, neck, torso, two arms and two legs.By the time the human reaches adulthood, the body consists of close to 100 trillion cells, the basic unit of life...
and other animals typically allow muscle
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
s, nerve
Nerve
A peripheral nerve, or simply nerve, is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of peripheral axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons. Nerves are found only in the peripheral nervous system...
s, arteries
Artery
Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. This blood is normally oxygenated, exceptions made for the pulmonary and umbilical arteries....
, vein
Vein
In the circulatory system, veins are blood vessels that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated blood to the heart...
s, or other structures to connect one part of the body with another.
Skull
The human skullHuman skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
has numerous foramina through which nerves, arteries, veins and other structures pass.
Other
- Apical foramenApical foramenIn anatomy the apical foramen is the opening at the apex of the root of a tooth, through which the nerve and blood vessels that supply the dental pulp pass...
, the hole at the tip of the root of a tooth - Foramen ovale (heart)Foramen ovale (heart)In the fetal heart, the foramen ovale , also ostium secundum of Born or falx septi, allows blood to enter the left atrium from the right atrium. It is one of two fetal cardiac shunts, the other being the ductus arteriosus...
, a hole between the venous and arterial sides of the fetal heart - Foramen transversarium, one of a pair of openings in each cervical vertebra, in which the vertebral artery travels
- Greater sciatic foramenGreater sciatic foramen-Boundaries:It is bounded as follows:* anterolaterally by the greater sciatic notch of the illium* posteromedially by the sacrotuberous ligament* inferiorly by the sacrospinous ligament and the ischial spine* superiorly by the anterior sacroilliac ligament...
, a major foramen of the pelvis - Interventricular foraminaInterventricular foraminaIn the brain, the interventricular foramina are channels that connect the paired lateral ventricles with the third ventricle at the midline of the brain. As channels, they allow cerebrospinal fluid produced in the lateral ventricles to reach the third ventricle and then the rest of the brain's...
, channels connecting ventricles in the brain - Lesser sciatic foramenLesser sciatic foramenAn opening between the pelvis and the posterior thigh, the foramen is formed by the sacrotuberous ligament which runs between the sacrum and the ischial tuberosity and the sacrospinous ligament which runs between the sacrum and the ischial spine.-Boundaries:...
, an opening between the pelvis and the posterior thigh - Obturator foramenObturator foramenThe obturator foramen is the hole created by the ischium and pubis bones of the pelvis through which nerves and muscles pass.- General structure :...
, the hole created by the ischium and pubis bones of the pelvis - Vertebral foramenVertebral foramenIn a typical vertebra, the vertebral foramen is the foramen formed by the anterior segment , and the posterior part, the vertebral arch....
, the foramen formed by the anterior segment (the body), and the posterior part, the vertebral arch.
See also
- :Category:Foramina of the skull
- Fossa (disambiguation)
- List of mnemonics for the cranial nerves
- SkeletonSkeletonThe skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...