Sphenoid Bone's Wings

Description

Sphenoid greater wings (alae majores) extend laterally from the sphenoid body to form a broad, triangular expanse of the skull base. Their superior (endocranial) surfaces contribute to the floor of the middle cranial fossa, while the inferior surfaces face the infratemporal region, positioned anterior to the petrous temporal bone and medial to the zygomatic bone. Along the anterior margin, the wings meet the frontal bone near the lateral orbital wall, and their sutural contacts with the parietal and squamous temporal bones define the pterion region. A cluster of openings is typically visible within the wing, with the foramen rotundum lying anteromedial to the foramen ovale, and the foramen spinosum posterolateral to ovale near the sphenoidal spine. Hard landmarks. These relationships matter whenever you are localizing skull base neurovascular routes: maxillary nerve (V2) through foramen rotundum to the pterygopalatine fossa, mandibular nerve (V3) through foramen ovale to the infratemporal fossa, and the middle meningeal artery entering via foramen spinosum with classic association to epidural hematoma after temporal trauma. The fixed view emphasizes how the foramina sit within the thickness of the greater wing rather than on a flat plate, which is the point trainees often miss when translating atlas knowledge to CT or intraoperative orientation. It also supports teaching of pterion anatomy, where thin squamous bone overlies meningeal vessels. Use this illustration in head and neck anatomy courses, neurosurgical and ENT teaching on middle cranial fossa corridors, and publisher layouts explaining trigeminal nerve divisions, the infratemporal fossa, or the lateral orbital wall. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.