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| Asterion (anatomy) | |
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| Side view of head, showing surface relations of bones. (Asterion visible at center right.) | |
| Gray's | subject #46 183 |
In human anatomy, the asterion is a visible, so-called craniometric, point on the exposed skull, just behind the ear, where three cranial sutures meet: the lambdoid, parieto-mastoid, and occipito-mastoid sutures.
In the adult, it lies 4 cm behind and 12 mm above the center of the entrance to the ear canal.
Neurosurgeons use this point to orientate themselves, in order to plan safe entry into the skull for some operations.
Some surgeons call it the "Mercedes point", for its resemblance to the Mercedes-Benz logo.
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- This page was last modified on 10 June 2008, at 19:10.
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