pila metoptica
A strut of cartilage  extending dorsally from the basal plate and with other similar cartilages forming the sides of the brain case. The pila metoptica is anterior to pila antoptica together with which it may enclose the foramen for the ocular motor nerve and opthalmica magna artery. Anterior to the pila antoptica is the pila preoptica (another pillar of cartilage) between these two cartilages emerges the optic and trochlear nerves.