Alae Of The Crista Galli

Description

Alae of the crista galli project laterally as paired, flattened bony wings from the superior midline of the ethmoid bone. The crista galli rises between them in the anterior cranial fossa, with the cribriform plate spreading out inferior and lateral to the complex and perforated by numerous olfactory foramina. Along the superolateral margins, the alae approach the frontal bone and help frame the anterior ethmoidal region, while the midline continues posteriorly into the body of the ethmoid and toward the perpendicular plate. These small “wings” matter because they sit at the junction of dura attachment and the olfactory pathway. The falx cerebri anchors to the crista galli, and fractures across the crista galli or adjacent cribriform plate can disrupt olfactory filaments and open a conduit for cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea after anterior skull base trauma. Spatially isolating the alae against the crista galli helps clarify how a seemingly minor bony contour relates to the midline skull base and to surgical corridors used in endoscopic approaches to the anterior ethmoid and planum sphenoidale. Small structure, big consequences. Use this illustration for osteology teaching in head and neck anatomy or neuroanatomy blocks, and for atlas figures explaining the ethmoid contribution to the anterior cranial fossa. It also suits radiology or ENT texts that correlate cribriform region anatomy with CT findings in anterior skull base fractures, anosmia, and CSF leak workup. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.