Anatomy of the Human Head and Skull

A patient presents with a cranial fracture that has compromised the middle meningeal artery. Damage to which of the following regions of the skull is MOST likely responsible for this injury?

A surgeon needs to access the cranial cavity for a procedure. Which layer of the SCALP must they incise to reach the bone, while also considering the need to minimize bleeding and promote healing?

A newborn is diagnosed with plagiocephaly. Which of the following sutures is MOST likely affected, leading to this cranial deformation?

A patient reports losing sensation in the posterior part of their head after a whiplash injury. Damage to which of the following nerves is MOST likely responsible for this sensory loss?

During a physical exam, a doctor palpates a distinct bony prominence at the superior aspect of the forehead, approximately at the midline. Which of the following bony landmarks is the doctor MOST likely palpating?

A patient, following a traumatic injury to the head, presents with diplopia (double vision) and an inability to properly abduct the right eye. Which of the following cranial nerves has MOST likely been affected?

After a stroke, a patient exhibits paralysis on the right side of their face. The clinician notes that the patient can wrinkle their forehead, but the lower face is paralyzed. Which of the following explanations BEST accounts for this presentation?

During a surgical procedure involving the infratemporal fossa, a surgeon inadvertently damages a nerve leading to the lateral pterygoid muscle. Which functional consequence would MOST likely result from this injury?

A surgeon is planning a procedure that requires access to the nasal cavity through the piriform aperture. Which of the following bony elements forms the inferior border of this aperture?

A patient presents with restricted mouth opening and pain in the jaw. Imaging reveals an adhesion within the temporomandibular joint that limits the normal gliding movement of the articular disc. Which structure is MOST likely adhered, causing this functional limitation?

A patient presents with Bell's Palsy, characterized by paralysis on one side of the face. What is the MOST likely cause of the patient's inability to wrinkle their forehead on the affected side, considering the typical presentation of this condition?

During a dissection, a structure is identified passing through the foramen ovale of the sphenoid bone. Based on its location, which of the following structures is MOST likely to be passing through this foramen?

A patient has difficulty elevating their upper eyelid. Which is the MOST likely nerve affected?

A baseball player is struck in the head by a fastball, leading to a fracture involving the anterior cranial fossa. Which of the following bones, if fractured, would MOST directly put the cribriform plate at risk?

A patient exhibits weakness in the muscles of mastication following a head injury. Which nerve is MOST likely affected, considering its role in innervating these muscles?

A patient presents with anosmia (loss of smell) after a car accident. Imaging reveals damage to a specific part of the ethmoid bone. Which specific structure is most likely affected?

A hockey player gets into a fight and is struck in the jaw, resulting in a fracture. Upon examination, the fracture is located at the angle of the mandible. Which muscle directly influences the fractured site?

Following a blow to the face, a patient exhibits numbness in the cheek and upper lip. Which nerve is MOST likely compromised?

A patient experiences a traumatic injury which severs the motor root of the trigeminal nerve. Which specific muscle action would be MOST affected?

A CT scan reveals a tumor impinging on the superior orbital fissure. Which nerve would MOST likely be the first affected?

A patient can’t protrude the lower jaw and has difficulty chewing. Which muscle is MOST likely damaged?

Following a motorcycle accident, a patient presents with a fracture at the mandibular condyle. Which movement would MOST likely be difficult for them?

If a patient is experiencing extreme, persistent pain in the face along the distribution of the trigeminal nerve, what intervention should not be tried?

During a surgical procedure to remove a deep-seated tumor near the base of the skull, the surgeon inadvertently damages a small nerve that passes through the foramen spinosum. What sensory or motor deficit is the patient MOST likely to exhibit postoperatively based SOLELY on injury to the structure passing through this foramen?

A genetic condition results in the premature fusion of the metopic suture in a child. Which of the following cranial vaults will MOST likely result from this condition if uncorrected?

A patient presents to a neurologist with a chief complaint of double vision (diplopia). Upon examination, the neurologist observes that the patient has difficulty looking downwards and laterally when the eye is adducted. Injury to which muscle is MOST likely responsible for the patient's presentation?

While studying skull anatomy, a medical student identifies a foramen located posterior to the hard palate. Through which of the following foramina do the lesser palatine nerves and vessels pass?

A patient presents with facial paralysis following a parotid gland tumor resection. Clinical examination reveals that while resting, the corner of the patient’s mouth droops and the patient has difficulty smiling and puffing out their cheeks on the affected side; however, the patient is still able to wrinkle their forehead bilaterally and forcefully close both eyelids without difficulty. Which branch of the facial nerve was MOST likely spared?

After a surgical procedure, a patient displays weakness in tongue protrusion and deviation towards the affected side. Which structure may have been compromised?

A patient who recently underwent a dental extraction complains of numbness affecting the lower lip and chin. Which structure was MOST likely damaged during the extraction procedure?

A patient reports a history of recurrent dislocation of their temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The dislocations MOST often occur when chewing. Which ligament will MOST likely provide support for the TMJ?

A 6-year-old child is brought by their parents with the complaint that they have been experiencing recurrent ear infections, which physicians attribute to inflammation of the pharyngotympanic tube. Through which of the following skull openings does this tube communicate?

A patient is evaluated in the clinic and the clinician notes that the patient is only able to abduct their left eye. Which nerve would MOST likely be damaged?

While palpating the skull, a physician identifies the region where the frontal, parietal, temporal, and sphenoid bones converge. Identification of which region is MOST likely described?