Squamous Part Of The Temporal Bone, Superior View

Description

Squamous part (squama temporalis) of the temporal bone occupies the lateral cranial vault, viewed from above with its thin plate flaring laterally beneath the parietal bone. Along its superior margin, the beveled edge overlaps the inferior border of the parietal bone to form the squamous suture (sutura squamosa), a scale-like articulation that runs anteroposteriorly across the temporal fossa. Anteriorly, the squama approaches the sphenoid at the region of the pterion, while posteriorly it tapers toward the mastoid part of the temporal bone. Surface contour and sutural serrations are emphasized. For neurosurgeons planning a temporal craniotomy, the squamous temporal bone sets the bony window for approaches to the middle cranial fossa, and its relationship to the pterion matters because a fracture here can lacerate the anterior branch of the middle meningeal artery and produce an epidural hematoma. The superior perspective makes the overlap at the squamous suture easy to read, so you can teach why this joint behaves differently from more interdigitated sutures during trauma and during elevation of a bone flap. Bony thickness is not uniform across the squama, and the smooth external surface corresponds to the broad origin of temporalis in the temporal fossa. Use this illustration in gross anatomy and osteology teaching for identifying the temporal squama, sutura squamosa, and pterion on the calvaria, and in operative anatomy materials that explain burr-hole placement relative to cranial sutures and surface landmarks. It also supports radiology and trauma education when correlating linear fractures on skull radiographs or CT bone windows with expected sutural courses. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.