At the angle of junction of the sphenoidal and maxillary portions, a short, concave, non-articular part is generally seen; this forms the anterior boundary of the inferior orbital fissure : occasionally, this non-articular part is absent, the fissure then being completed by the junction of the maxilla and sphenoid, or by the interposition of a small sutural bone in the angular interval between them.
22.
In addition, Ratiu et al . noted that the hole in the base of the cranium ( created as the tamping iron passed through the sphenoidal sinus into the brain ) has a diameter about half that of the iron itself; combining this with the hairline fracture beginning behind the exit region and running down the front of the skull, they concluded that the skull " hinged " open as the iron entered from below, then was pulled closed by the resilience of soft tissues once the iron had exited through the top of the head.
