Anatomy of the Face - Flipbook - Page 42
Occipital Bone (Occipitalis)
The occipital bone is an unpaired bone which covers the back of the head (occiput). It makes up a large portion of the basilar
part of the neurocranium and entirely houses the cerebellum. The occipital bone is the most posterior cranial bone and the main
bone of the occiput. It is considered a flat bone, like all other cranial bones, meaning that its primary function is either for
protection or to provide a broad surface for muscle attachment. The scalp, which consists of five layers, covers the bone. The
easiest way remember the layers of the scalp is mnemonic:
S - skin
C - connective tissue
A - aponeurosis of the occipitofrontalis muscle
L - loose areolar connective tissue
P – periosteum
It is the only cranial bone to articulate with the cervical spine, and besides this articulation, it articulates with many other bones of
the skull. It is divided into four parts arranged around the foramen magnum, as follows:
basilar part - sits anterior to the foramen magnum and adjacent to the petrous part of the temporal bone. There is also a
pharyngeal tubercle on the inferior surface of the basilar part.
condylar parts - are located lateral to the foramen magnum and comprise two occipital condyles. Posterior to them are the
condylar canals, while the hypoglossal canal also pierces through the condylar part of the occipital bone.
squamous part - it contains a palpable prominence named the external occipital protuberance, together with three nuchal lines
and grooves for the dural venous sinuses,
The occipital bone is bordered by the lamboid, occipitomastoid, and the petro-occipital sutures The large oval opening in
the bone is called the foramen magnum through which the spinal cord exits the cranial vault..
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