Foramen rotundum

Author: Gordana Sendić, MD •
Last reviewed: October 30, 2023
Reading time: 1 minute

The foramen rotundum is a circular opening in the base of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone, found posterior to the medial end of the superior orbital fissure. This foramen allows passage for the maxillary nerve, the second branch of the trigeminal nerve (CN V).

The foramen rotundum runs an inferior and lateral course and connects the middle cranial fossa with the pterygopalatine fossa.

Terminology	English: Foramen rotundum Latin: Foramen rotundum
Location	Greater wing of the sphenoid bone
Contents	Maxillary nerve (CN V2)

Test your knowledge about the skull bones with this interactive quiz.

Learn about other openings and landmarks of the sphenoid bone in the following study unit:

Sources

All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.

Moore, K. L., Dalley, A. F., & Agur, A. (2017). Clinically oriented anatomy (8th ed.). Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Drake RL, Vogl AW, Mitchell WMA. Gray’s anatomy for students. 4th ed. 2020.

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Foramen rotundum

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