Diaphragma sellae
Encyclopedia
The diaphragma sellae or sellar diaphragm is the circular fold of dura mater
that almost completely roofs the fossa hypophyseos
of the sella turcica
of the sphenoid bone
within the skull
. It retains the pituitary gland
in the fossa hypophyseos, with only the infundibulum
of the pituitary gland passing through it. The sensory innervation or the diaphragma sellae is by the first division of the trigeminal nerve
.
Dura mater
The dura mater , or dura, is the outermost of the three layers of the meninges surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is derived from Mesoderm. The other two meningeal layers are the pia mater and the arachnoid mater. The dura surrounds the brain and the spinal cord and is responsible for...
that almost completely roofs the fossa hypophyseos
Fossa hypophyseos
In the sphenoid bone, behind the chiasmatic groove is an elevation, the tuberculum sellae; and still more posteriorly, a deep depression, the sella turcica, the deepest part of which lodges the hypophysis cerebri and is known as the fossa hypophyseos .-External links:* - "Cranial Fossae:...
of the sella turcica
Sella turcica
-External links:*...
of the sphenoid bone
Sphenoid bone
The sphenoid bone is an unpaired bone situated at the base of the skull in front of the temporal bone and basilar part of the occipital bone.The sphenoid bone is one of the seven bones that articulate to form the orbit...
within the skull
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
. It retains the pituitary gland
Pituitary gland
In vertebrate anatomy the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 g , in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, and rests in a small, bony cavity covered by a dural fold...
in the fossa hypophyseos, with only the infundibulum
Infundibulum
An infundibulum is a funnel-shaped cavity or organ.* Lungs: The alveolar sacs of the lungs from which the air chambers open are called infundibula...
of the pituitary gland passing through it. The sensory innervation or the diaphragma sellae is by the first division of the trigeminal nerve
Trigeminal nerve
The trigeminal nerve contains both sensory and motor fibres. It is responsible for sensation in the face and certain motor functions such as biting, chewing, and swallowing. Sensory information from the face and body is processed by parallel pathways in the central nervous system...
.