Basilar sinuses connect the inferior petrosal sinuses to each other and to the vertebral plexus of veins. They are on the clivus, just posterior to the sella turcica of the sphenoid bone (Fig. 8.44).
The 12 pairs of cranial nerves are part of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and pass through foramina or fissures in the cranial cavity. All nerves except one, the accessory nerve [XI], originate from the brain.