Coronal Section of the Skull, Gross Anatomy

Description

Coronal section anatomy of the adult male skull is presented with the calvaria and facial skeleton opened to emphasize the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. The maxillary sinuses occupy the body of the maxilla inferior to the orbits and lateral to the nasal septum, while the ethmoidal air cells lie medial to each orbit within the ethmoid labyrinth, adjacent to the superior nasal cavity. Cranial sutures outline the frontal bone superiorly and the paired nasal and maxillary components anteriorly, with the mandible and dentition positioned inferior to the maxilla in anatomic occlusion. Bone thickness is apparent along the temporal region and lateral cranial wall. Clear landmarks. Coronal orientation across the sinonasal complex matters because this is the plane most clinicians mentally map to endoscopic sinus surgery and to standard CT sinus series, where the ostiomeatal complex, ethmoid labyrinth, and maxillary sinus drainage pathways are assessed. The relationship of the ethmoid sinuses to the medial orbital wall (lamina papyracea) helps explain why ethmoiditis can progress to orbital cellulitis, and why surgical dissection must respect the thin bony partitions between sinus, orbit, and anterior cranial fossa. Seeing the maxillary sinus floor in relation to posterior maxillary teeth also frames odontogenic sinusitis and the risk of oroantral communication after dental extraction. Use this illustration in gross anatomy and head and neck modules to teach three-dimensional relationships of the facial skeleton, nasal cavity, and paranasal sinuses, or in radiology teaching files to pair with coronal CT and cone-beam dental imaging. It also fits ENT and maxillofacial surgical atlases discussing functional endoscopic sinus surgery corridors, Caldwell-Luc approaches, and complications at the orbit and skull base. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.