Foramen ovale
Template:Search infobox Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
There are multiple structures in the human body with the name foramen ovale (plural: foramina ovalia; Latin for "oval hole"):
- In the fetal heart, the foramen ovale (heart) is a shunt from the right to left atrium.
- At the base of the skull, the foramen ovale (skull) is in the greater wing of the sphenoid bone in the middle cranial fossa and transmits the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve, otic ganglion, accessory meningeal artery, lesser petrosal nerve and emissary veins.