List of foramina of the human body

This page lists foramina found in the human body. Foramina (plural of foramen) are natural openings or holes in bones or tissues that allow the passage of nerves, blood vessels, and other structures.

Skull

The human skull contains numerous foramina that allow the passage of cranial nerves, arteries, veins, and other neurovascular structures. These openings are crucial for communication between the brain and the rest of the body.

Bone	Cranial fossa	Foramen	Vessels	Nerves
Frontal bone	–	Supraorbital foramen	Supraorbital artery, Supraorbital vein	Supraorbital nerve
Frontal bone	Anterior cranial fossa	Foramen cecum	Emissary veins to superior sagittal sinus	–
Ethmoid bone	–	Foramina of cribriform plate	–	Bundles of olfactory nerve (CN I)
Ethmoid bone	Anterior cranial fossa	Anterior ethmoidal foramen	Anterior ethmoidal artery, Anterior ethmoidal vein	Anterior ethmoidal nerve
Ethmoid bone	Anterior cranial fossa	Posterior ethmoidal foramen	Posterior ethmoidal artery, Posterior ethmoidal vein	Posterior ethmoidal nerve
Sphenoid bone	–	Optic canal	Ophthalmic artery	Optic nerve (CN II)
Sphenoid bone	Middle cranial fossa	Superior orbital fissure	Superior ophthalmic vein	Oculomotor nerve (CN III), Trochlear nerve (CN IV), branches of Ophthalmic nerve (CN V1), Abducent nerve (CN VI)
Sphenoid bone	Middle cranial fossa	Foramen rotundum	–	Maxillary nerve (CN V2)
Maxilla	–	Incisive foramen / Incisive canal	Sphenopalatine artery	Nasopalatine nerve (CN V2)
Palatine bone	–	Greater palatine foramen	Greater palatine artery, Greater palatine vein	Greater palatine nerve
Palatine bone and Maxilla	–	Lesser palatine foramina	Lesser palatine artery, Lesser palatine vein	Lesser palatine nerve
Sphenoid bone and Maxilla	–	Inferior orbital fissure	Inferior ophthalmic vein, Infraorbital artery, Infraorbital vein	Zygomatic nerve, Infraorbital nerve (branches of CN V2), orbital branches of Pterygopalatine ganglion
Maxilla	–	Infraorbital foramen	Infraorbital artery, Infraorbital vein	Infraorbital nerve
Sphenoid bone	Middle cranial fossa	Foramen ovale	Accessory meningeal artery	Mandibular nerve (CN V3), Lesser petrosal nerve (occasionally)
Sphenoid bone	Middle cranial fossa	Foramen spinosum	Middle meningeal artery	Meningeal branch of mandibular nerve (CN V3)
Sphenoid bone	Middle cranial fossa	Foramen lacerum	Artery of pterygoid canal	Nerve of pterygoid canal
Temporal bone	Posterior cranial fossa	Internal acoustic meatus	Labyrinthine artery	Facial nerve (CN VII), Vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
Temporal bone	Posterior cranial fossa	Jugular foramen	Internal jugular vein, Inferior petrosal sinus, Sigmoid sinus	Glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX), Vagus nerve (CN X), Accessory nerve (CN XI)
Occipital bone	Posterior cranial fossa	Hypoglossal canal	–	Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
Occipital bone	Posterior cranial fossa	Foramen magnum	Anterior and posterior spinal arteries, Vertebral arteries	Medulla oblongata, spinal root of Accessory nerve (CN XI)
Temporal bone	Posterior cranial fossa	Stylomastoid foramen	Stylomastoid artery	Facial nerve (CN VII)

Labeled view of skull base showing major foramina

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  Base of skull – superior view

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  Base of skull – inferior view, with muscle attachments marked in red

Spine

Main article: Intervertebral foramina

In the vertebral column, each vertebra has a pair of openings known as intervertebral foramina. These foramina are formed between adjacent vertebrae and allow the passage of spinal nerves, blood vessels, and other structures. The central opening in each vertebra is the vertebral foramen, which collectively form the vertebral canal housing the spinal cord.

Other Foramina

The human body contains many other significant foramina outside of the skull and spine, including:

• Apical foramen – opening at the tip of a tooth root
• Foramen ovale (heart) – fetal cardiac shunt between atria
• Foramen transversarium – openings in cervical vertebrae for the vertebral artery
• Greater sciatic foramen – major pelvic opening for sciatic nerve and vessels
• Lesser sciatic foramen – passage between pelvis and perineum
• Obturator foramen – large pelvic opening bounded by the ischium and pubis
• Interventricular foramina – channels connecting lateral and third ventricles in the brain
• Vertebral foramen – central canal of each vertebra through which the spinal cord passes

See Also

• Human skull
• Nervous system
• Cranial nerves
• Spinal cord
• Human anatomy

Portions of content adapted from Wikipedia's article on List of foramina of the human body which is released under the CC BY-SA 3.0.