craniales

Craniales is an anatomical term relating to the skull, the skeleton that encloses the brain and supports the sensory organs. In humans, the skull is divided into the neurocranium (the braincase) and the viscerocranium (the facial skeleton).

The neurocranium comprises eight bones: frontal, two parietal, two temporal, sphenoid, ethmoid, and occipital. The viscerocranium comprises fourteen bones: two nasal bones, two maxillae, two zygomatic bones, two palatine bones, two lacrimal bones, two inferior nasal conchae, plus the vomer and the mandible.

The term cranial is often used in reference to the cranial nerves, twelve pairs that originate from the brain and exit the skull through specific foramina to supply sensory and motor innervation to the head and neck.

During development, most skull bones form by intramembranous ossification, while the base of the skull forms by endochondral ossification. Sutures between bones allow growth during infancy and childhood; fontanelles are the soft spots present in infants.

Clinical relevance includes cranial injuries, fractures, and craniosynostosis, a condition characterized by premature fusion of cranial sutures that can restrict brain growth and alter head shape. Imaging techniques such as X-ray, CT, and MRI are used to assess cranial structure and pathology.