In anatomy, a fossa (;OED 2nd edition, 1989.Entry "fossa" in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. : fossae ( or ); ) is a depression or hollow, usually in a bone, such as the hypophyseal fossa (the depression in the sphenoid bone).Venieratos D, Anagnostopoulou S, Garidou A., A new morphometric method for the sella turcica and the hypophyseal fossa and its clinical relevance.;Folia Morphol (Warsz). 2005 Nov;64(4):240-7. Some examples include:
In the skull: Cranial fossae Anterior cranial fossa Middle cranial fossa Interpeduncular fossa Posterior cranial fossa Hypophyseal fossa Temporal bone fossae Mandibular fossa Jugular fossa Infratemporal fossa Pterygopalatine fossa Pterygoid fossa Lacrimal fossae Fossa for lacrimal gland Fossa for lacrimal sac Scaphoid fossa Condyloid fossa Rhomboid fossa
In the mandible: Retromolar fossa
In the torso: Fossa ovalis (heart) Infraclavicular fossa Pyriform fossa Substernal fossa Iliac fossa Ovarian fossa Paravesical fossa Coccygeal fossa Navicular fossae Navicular fossa of male urethra Fossa of vestibule of vagina Ischioanal fossa
In the upper limb: Supraclavicular fossa Radial fossa On the scapula: Glenoid fossa Supraspinous fossa Infraspinous fossa Subscapular fossa Cubital fossa (a.k.a. Antecubital fossa or chelidon) Olecranon fossa
In the lower limb: Fossa ovalis (thigh) Trochanteric fossa Acetabular fossa Popliteal fossa Intercondyloid fossae Anterior intercondyloid fossa Posterior intercondyloid fossa Intercondylar fossa of femur
See also Foramen
References