Internal occipital protuberance

Protuberantia occipitalis interna

Definition

The internal occipital protuberance is a bony prominence which is found on the inside of the squamous part of the occipital bone, directly opposite to the external occipital protuberance. This key anatomical landmark is associated with the confluence of sinuses, which is where different dural venous sinuses come together. Starting from this bump, we find two bony grooves extending sideways for the right and left transverse sinuses, one groove going upward for the superior sagittal sinus, and another groove moving downward along the internal occipital crest for the occipital sinus.

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Text written by Muhammad A. Javaid, MD, PhD © 2024 IMAIOS.

  • Drake, R.L., Vogl, A.W. and Mitchell, A.W.M. (2009). ‘Chapter 8: Head and Neck’ in Gray’s anatomy for Students. (2nd ed.) Philadelphia PA 19103-2899: Elsevier, pp. 816-817 & Fig. 8.20.

  • Standring, S. (2016). ‘Chapter 27: External skull’ in Gray’s anatomy: the anatomical basis of clinical practice. (41st ed.) New York NY: Elsevier, pp. 432.


Comparative anatomy in animals

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