Occipital bone

Study entry

Parts

Unpaired bone of the posterior part and base of the skull, with four parts around the foramen magnum; the squamous part forms the occiput. Inside, it forms most of the posterior cranial fossa.

Joints

Atlanto-occipital (condyles with the atlas); lambdoid suture (with the parietals); with the sphenoid in front (synchondrosis in childhood) and with the temporals.

Palpation

The external occipital protuberance (the inion) is usually easy to feel in the midline; sometimes, especially in women, it is not very evident.

Source: cap. 8, «Cráneo» y «Cráneo: fosas craneales» y tabla 8-2

Other structures in this region

• Thyroid cartilage
• Cricoid cartilage
• Arytenoid, corniculate and cuneiform cartilages
• Epiglottis (epiglottic cartilage)
• Membranes and ligaments of the larynx (conus elasticus and quadrangular membrane)
• Frontal bone
• Parietal bone
• Temporal bone