Pterygopalatine fossa

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Bone: Pterygopalatine fossa
Left maxillary sinus opened from the exterior.
Articulation of left palatine bone with maxilla.
Latin	fossa pterygopalatina
Gray's	subject #41 166
Dorlands/Elsevier	f_14/12376574

The pterygopalatine fossa is a fossa in the skull.

Contents 1 Boundaries 2 Passages 3 Contents 4 See also 5 Additional images 6 External links

[edit] Boundaries

It has the following boundaries:

• anterior: maxilla (back surface - palatine process of maxilla)
• posterior: sphenoid bone (pterygoid process)
• medial: palatine bone (lateral surface)

[edit] Passages

The following passages connect the fossa with other parts of the skull:

Direction	Passage	Connection
Posteriorly	foramen rotundum	middle cranial fossa
Posteriorly	pterygoid canal (Vidian)	middle cranial fossa, foramen lacerum
Posteriorly	palatovaginal canal (pharyngeal)	nasal cavity/nasopharynx
Anteriorly	inferior orbital fissure	orbit
Medially	sphenopalatine foramen	nasal cavity
Laterally	pterygomaxillary fissure	infratemporal fossa
Inferiorly	greater palatine canal (pterygopalatine)	oral cavity, lesser palatine canals

[edit] Contents

The pterygopalatine fossa contains

• the pterygopalatine ganglion suspended by nerve roots from the maxillary nerve
• the third part of the maxillary artery
• the nerve of the pterygoid canal

[edit] See also

• Pterygopalatine canal

[edit] Additional images

Alveolar branches of superior maxillary nerve and pterygopalatine ganglion.

The pterygopalatine ganglion and its branches.

[edit] External links

• Image at tufts.edu

v • d • e Bones of head and neck: cranial sutures, fontanelles, and related regions

cranial sutures: Coronal - Lambdoid - Occipitomastoid - Sphenofrontal - Sphenoparietal - Sphenosquamosal - Sphenozygomatic -Squamosal - Zygomaticotemporal - Zygomaticofrontal - Frontal/Metopic - Sagittal - Frontoethmoidal - Petrosquamous - Sphenoethmoidal - Sphenopetrosal fontanelles: Anterior fontanelle - Posterior fontanelle foramina of multiple bones: Inferior orbital fissure - Foramen lacerum - Jugular foramen - Nasolacrimal canal Anterior cranial fossa - Middle cranial fossa - Posterior cranial fossa - Cranial cavity other compound structures: Asterion - Nasion - Pterion - Dacryon - Zygomatic arch - Calvaria - Infratemporal fossa - Stephanion - Pterygomaxillary fissure - Pterygopalatine fossa