Sphenoid bone (Os sphenoidale)
Educational content only — not medical advice.
Anatomy
An unpaired butterfly-shaped bone at the centre of the skull base: its body contains the sphenoid sinus and the sella turcica lodging the pituitary gland, while greater and lesser wings frame the superior orbital fissure (the third, fourth and sixth nerves and the ophthalmic division of the fifth) while the optic canal above it transmits the optic nerve and ophthalmic artery.
Clinical notes
Pituitary tumours enlarge the sella and compress the optic chiasm above, causing bitemporal visual-field loss; transsphenoidal surgery reaches the tumour through the sphenoid sinus via the nose.
Related structures
Educational references
FAQ
What is the role of the Sphenoid bone?
An unpaired butterfly-shaped bone at the centre of the skull base: its body contains the sphenoid sinus and the sella turcica lodging the pituitary gland, while greater and lesser wings frame the superior orbital fissure (the third, fourth and sixth nerves and the ophthalmic division of the fifth) while the optic canal above it transmits the optic nerve and ophthalmic artery.
Why is the Sphenoid bone clinically important?
Pituitary tumours enlarge the sella and compress the optic chiasm above, causing bitemporal visual-field loss; transsphenoidal surgery reaches the tumour through the sphenoid sinus via the nose.
Source & license
Derived from Z-Anatomy (Gauthier Kervyn et al.), CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); upstream geometry from BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science. license details