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Asterion (anatomy)

Meeting point between three sutures between bones of the skull

Meeting point between three sutures between bones of the skull

FieldValue
NameAsterion
Latinasterion
ImageAsterion.PNG
CaptionSide view of head, showing surface relations of bones. (Asterion visible at center right.)
SystemSkeletal
Part_ofSkull

The asterion is a meeting point between three sutures between bones of the skull. It is an important surgical landmark.

Structure

In human anatomy, the asterion is a visible (craniometric) point on the exposed skull. It is just posterior to the ear. It is the point where three cranial sutures meet:

  • the lambdoid suture.
  • parietomastoid suture.
  • occipitomastoid suture.

It is also the point where three cranial bones meet:

  • the parietal bone.
  • the occipital bone.
  • the mastoid portion of the temporal bone.

In the adult, it lies 4 cm behind and 12 mm above the center of the entrance to the ear canal. Its relation to other anatomical structures is fairly variable.

Clinical significance

Neurosurgeons may use the asterion to orient themselves, in order to plan safe entry into the skull for some operations, such as when using a retro-sigmoid approach. The asterion marks the junction of the transverse and the sigmoid sinuses

Etymology

The asterion receives its name from the Greek ἀστέριον (astērion), meaning "star" or "starry".

The Mercedes point is an alternative term for the asterion, for its resemblance to the Mercedes-Benz logo.

References

References

  1. (2006). "Asterion as a surgical landmark for lateral cranial base approaches". Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery.
  2. (2003). "Lateral posterior fossa venous sinus relationships to surface landmarks". Surgical Neurology.
  3. (2019). "The Surface and Intracranial Location of Asterion". Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

human-head-and-neck skull
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