Left anterior medial view of cavernous sinus. The pituitary gland can be seen at the left border of the image contained within the sella turcica of the sphenoid bone. Removal of portions of the petrous temporal and sphenoid bones have exposed multiple segments of the internal carotid artery: petrous, lacerum, cavernous, clinoid, and supraclinoid. The ophthalmic artery arises from the supraclinoid segment and courses with the optic nerve into the optic canal. Within the lateral wall of the cavernous sinus are the oculomotor, ophthalmic, and maxillary nerves. The oculomotor, ophthalmic, and abducens nerves converge on and transverse the superior orbital fissure to enter the orbit, while the maxillary nerve passes through the foramen rotundum to enter the pterygopalatine fossa. The abducens nerve courses within the cavernous sinus on the lateral surface of the cavernous segment of the internal carotid artery, which carries the perivascular carotid sympathetic nerve plexus. (Image courtesy of AL Rhoton, Jr.)