Anatomy Exam Bones of the Cranial Vault 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which suture separates the two parietal bones from each other along the midline?
- Coronal suture
- Lambdoid suture
- Sagittal suture (Correct answer)
- Squamous suture
Correct answer: Sagittal suture
The sagittal suture runs anteroposteriorly in the midline, separating the right and left parietal bones.
Question 2: The pterion, the thinnest region of the temporal fossa, is the junction of how many bones?
- Two
- Three
- Four (Correct answer)
- Five
Correct answer: Four
The pterion is where four bones meet: the frontal, parietal, temporal, and greater wing of the sphenoid.
Question 3: The hypophyseal fossa, which houses the pituitary gland, is bounded anteriorly by which structure?
- Dorsum sellae
- Tuberculum sellae (Correct answer)
- Clinoid processes
- Optic chiasma groove
Correct answer: Tuberculum sellae
The tuberculum sellae forms the anterior boundary of the hypophyseal fossa (sella turcica), with the dorsum sellae forming the posterior boundary.
Question 4: Which type of ossification produces the bones of the cranial vault?
- Endochondral ossification
- Intramembranous ossification (Correct answer)
- Periosteal ossification
- Enchondral ossification
Correct answer: Intramembranous ossification
The flat bones of the cranial vault form by intramembranous ossification, where bone develops directly within a connective tissue membrane without a cartilage precursor.
Question 5: The asterion is the point of junction between the parietal, occipital, and which other bone?
- Frontal bone
- Sphenoid bone
- Temporal bone (Correct answer)
- Ethmoid bone
Correct answer: Temporal bone
The asterion is located where the lambdoid, parietomastoid, and occipitomastoid sutures meet, joining the parietal, occipital, and temporal bones.
Question 6: A depressed skull fracture involving the inner table but not the outer table is best described as which type?
- Linear fracture
- Pond fracture
- Ping-pong fracture (Correct answer)
- Comminuted fracture
Correct answer: Ping-pong fracture
A ping-pong (or pond) fracture is an indentation of the inner table with an intact outer table, seen primarily in newborns due to the pliable calvaria.
Question 7: Which meningeal branch primarily supplies the dura overlying the parietal bone?
- Anterior meningeal artery
- Middle meningeal artery (Correct answer)
- Posterior meningeal artery
- Accessory meningeal artery
Correct answer: Middle meningeal artery
The middle meningeal artery, a branch of the maxillary artery, is the primary blood supply to the dura mater overlying the parietal and temporal regions.
Anatomy Exam Bones of the Cranial Vault 5
Which suture separates the two parietal bones from each other along the midline?