Pterygopalatine fossa

The pterygopalatine fossa is a fossa in the skull.

Boundaries
It has the following boundaries:


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

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

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