foramens

aortic foramen aortic hiatus.

apical foramen an opening at or near the apex of the root of a tooth.

auditory foramen, external the external acoustic meatus.

auditory foramen, internal the passage for the auditory (vestibulocochlear) and facial nerves in the petrous part of the temporal bone.

cecal foramen (foramen cae´cum)

condyloid foramen, anterior hypoglossal canal.

condyloid foramen, posterior condylar canal.

epiploic foramen omental foramen.

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, 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.

interventricular foramen a passage from the third to the lateral ventricle of the brain.

intervertebral foramen a passage for a spinal nerve and vessels formed by notches on the pedicles of adjacent vertebrae.

jugular foramen an opening formed by the jugular notches of the temporal and occipital bones.

foramen mag´num a large opening in the anterior inferior part of the occipital bone, between the cranial cavity and spinal canal.

mastoid foramen an opening in the temporal bone behind the mastoid process.

foramen of Monro interventricular foramen.

obturator foramen the large opening between the pubic bone and the ischium.

omental foramen the opening connecting the greater and the lesser peritoneal sacs, situated below and behind the porta hepatis; called also epiploic foramen.

optic foramen optic canal.

foramen ova´le

petrosal foramen, foramen petro´sum a small opening sometimes present behind the foramen ovale for transmission of the lesser petrosal nerve.

foramen rotun´dum a round opening in the great wing of the sphenoid for the maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve.

sacral foramina, anterior eight passages (four on each side) on the pelvic surface of the sacrum for the anterior branches of the sacral nerves.

sacral foramina, posterior eight passages (four on each side) on the dorsal surface of the sacrum for the posterior branches of the sacral nerves.

Scarpa's foramen an opening behind the upper medial incisor, for the nasopalatine nerve.

sciatic foramen either of two openings (the greater and smaller sciatic foramina), formed by the sacrotuberal and sacrospinal ligaments in the sciatic notch of the hip bone.

sphenopalatine foramen a space between the orbital and sphenoidal processes of the palatine bone, opening into the nasal cavity and transmitting the sphenopalatine artery and the nasal nerves.

spinous foramen a hole in the great wing of the sphenoid for the middle meningeal artery.

supraorbital foramen passage in the frontal bone for the supraorbital vessels 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 (thebesian veins) empty into the heart.

transverse foramen the passage in either transverse process of a cervical vertebra that, in the upper six vertebrae, transmits the vertebral vessels.

vena cava foramen an opening in the diaphragm for the inferior vena cava and some branches of the right vagus nerve.

foramen veno´sum an opening occasionally found medial to the foramen ovale of the sphenoid, for the passage of a vein from the cavernous sinus.

vertebral foramen the large opening in a vertebra formed by its body and its arch.

foramen of Vesalius foramen venosum.

Weitbrecht's foramen a foramen in the capsule of the shoulder joint.

foramen of Winslow epiploic foramen.

fo·ram′i·nal (-răm′ə-nəl), fo·ram′i·nous (-nəs) adj.

A small opening, perforation, or orifice.