anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

and osteology, a foramen (; : foramina, or foramens ; ) is an opening or enclosed gap within the

dense connective tissue Dense connective tissue, also called dense fibrous tissue, is a type of connective tissue with fibers as its main extracellular matrix, matrix element. The fibers are mainly composed of type I collagen. Crowded between the collagen fibers are rows ...

(

bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

s and

deep fascia Deep fascia (or investing fascia) is a fascia, a layer of dense connective tissue that can surround individual muscles and groups of muscles to separate into fascial compartments. This fibrous connective tissue interpenetrates and surrounds the m ...

e) of extant and extinct

amniote Amniotes are tetrapod vertebrate animals belonging to the clade Amniota, a large group that comprises the vast majority of living terrestrial animal, terrestrial and semiaquatic vertebrates. Amniotes evolution, evolved from amphibious Stem tet ...

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...

s, typically to allow passage of nerves, arteries, veins or other

soft tissue Soft tissue connective tissue, connects and surrounds or supports internal organs and bones, and includes muscle, tendons, ligaments, Adipose tissue, fat, fibrous tissue, Lymphatic vessel, lymph and blood vessels, fasciae, and synovial membranes.� ...

structures (e.g.

muscle Muscle is a soft tissue, one of the four basic types of animal tissue. There are three types of muscle tissue in vertebrates: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. Muscle tissue gives skeletal muscles the ability to muscle contra ...

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue, dense fibrous connective tissue that connects skeletal muscle, muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tensi ...

) from one body compartment to another.

Skull

The skulls of

vertebrates Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

have foramina through which nerves, arteries, veins, and other structures pass. The human skull has many foramina, collectively referred to as the cranial foramina.

Spine

Within the

vertebral column The spinal column, also known as the vertebral column, spine or backbone, is the core part of the axial skeleton in vertebrates. The vertebral column is the defining and eponymous characteristic of the vertebrate. The spinal column is a segmente ...

(spine) of vertebrates, including the human spine, each bone has an opening at both its top and bottom to allow nerves, arteries, veins, etc. to pass through.

Other

* Apical foramen, the hole at the tip of the root of a tooth * Foramen ovale (heart), a hole between the venous and arterial sides of the fetal heart * Transverse foramen, one of a pair of openings in each cervical vertebra, in which the vertebral artery travels * Greater sciatic foramen, a major foramen of the pelvis * Interventricular foramina, channels connecting ventricles in the brain * Lesser sciatic foramen, an opening between the pelvis and the posterior thigh *

Obturator foramen The obturator foramen is the large, Bilateral symmetry, bilaterally paired opening of the bony pelvis. It is formed by the pubis and ischium. It is mostly closed by the obturator membrane except for a small opening, the obturator canal, through wh ...

, the hole created by the ischium and pubis bones of the pelvis * Omental foramen, the connecting opening between the greater sac and the lesser sac in the

abdominal cavity The abdominal cavity is a large body cavity in humans and many other animals that contain Organ (anatomy), organs. It is a part of the abdominopelvic cavity. It is located below the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity. Its dome-shaped roo ...

. * Sacral foramina, which perforate the vertebral canal from the Sacrum (sacral bone), and through which the sacral nerves pass. * Vertebral foramen, the foramen formed by the anterior segment (the body), and the posterior part, the vertebral arch. * Foramen of Panizza, a hole connecting two aortas just after they leave the heart in crocodiles.

References

{{set index article Animal anatomy

Skull

Spine

Other

See also

References