Jugular foramen

Last edited and medically reviewed by Alaric Steinmetz on 04.03.2023

The jugular foramen is a bony opening at the base of the skull, between the petrous part of the temporal bone and the lateral part of the occipital bone.

Anatomy

The extracranial opening of the jugular foramen has a retort-shaped form, whereas the intracranial opening has a bird-shaped form¹. Cranial nerves IX - XI, as well as the posterior meningeal artery and internal jugular vein, pass through the jugular foramen.

Figure

Schematic representation of the intracranial and extracranial forms of the jugular foramen — Representation of the shape of the jugular foramen. (a) shows the flask-shaped form of the extracranial jugular foramen, and (b) shows the bird-like intracranial form. Figure adapted from Di Chiro et al.

Schematic representation of the anatomical contents of the jugular foramen — Schematic representation of the anatomical structures passing through the jugular foramen. Figure adapted from Di Chiro et al. 1964.

References

Di Chiro, G., Fisher, R. L., & Nelson, K. B. (1964). The Jugular Foramen. Journal of Neurosurgery, 21(6), 447–460. ↩ ↩

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