Body Of The Sphenoid Bone

Description

Sphenoid body (corpus ossis sphenoidalis) occupies the midline of the cranial base, forming the central keystone between the anterior and middle cranial fossae. Superiorly, the sella turcica is defined by the hypophyseal fossa with the tuberculum sellae anteriorly and the dorsum sellae posteriorly, the latter rising as a square plate that can be traced to the posterior clinoid processes at its superolateral corners. Anterosuperior to the sella, the sphenoidal plane (planum sphenoidale) provides a smooth surface that continues toward the ethmoid and the region of the chiasmatic sulcus. Bone detail is the focus. For pituitary and parasellar disease, these landmarks matter because the bony contour of the sellar floor and dorsum sellae frames the operative corridor and helps localize the hypophysis relative to the optic chiasm and cavernous sinuses. Enlargement or erosion of the sellar region by pituitary macroadenoma, empty sella, or invasive skull base tumors often alters the dorsum sellae profile and the definition of the hypophyseal fossa, findings that correlate directly with CT-based surgical planning. The fixed perspective favors teaching the boundaries of the sella turcica as a three-dimensional depression rather than as a flat textbook outline, with shadows emphasizing the step between the planum sphenoidale and the sellar pit. Use this illustration in neuroanatomy and head and neck anatomy courses when introducing the cranial base, and in neurosurgery or ENT materials describing transsphenoidal approaches and sellar pathology. It also suits radiology atlases that annotate normal osseous landmarks of the sphenoid on CT. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.