Skull & Cranial Anatomy
Cribriform plate
The cribriform plate is the perforated part of the ethmoid bone at the skull base through which the olfactory (smell) nerves pass.
In short: Cribriform plate
- Transethmoidal and nasal encephaloceles involve this region.
- Its perforations transmit the smell nerves.
- It is part of the skull base between the brain and nose.
- It is a key landmark in skull-base surgery.
What it is
It is the sieve-like part of the ethmoid bone, full of small perforations through which the olfactory (smell) nerves pass from the nose to the brain. It sits directly between the brain and the nasal cavity.
Understanding Cribriform plate
Because it sits between the brain and the nasal cavity, defects here let encephaloceles protrude into the nose, and it is a key landmark in skull-base surgery. Transethmoidal and nasal encephaloceles involve this region, which is why a nasal mass in a child must be imaged before any biopsy — it may connect to the brain through the cribriform plate.
Why it matters
Understanding the cribriform plate explains the direct connection between the nose and the brain at the skull base, and why nasal masses are approached so cautiously.
Common questions
What passes through it?
The olfactory (smell) nerves.
Which encephaloceles involve it?
Transethmoidal and nasal types.
Why is it important in surgery?
It is a key skull-base landmark between brain and nose.
Bottom line
The cribriform plate is the perforated ethmoid region between brain and nose, involved in nasal encephaloceles.
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