Pterygopalatine fossa
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| Bone: Pterygopalatine fossa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Left maxillary sinus opened from the exterior. | |
| Old human skull with entrance to pterygopalatine fossa marked in purple | |
| Latin | fossa pterygopalatina |
| Gray's | subject #41 166 |
| Dorlands / Elsevier | f_14/12376574 |
The pterygopalatine fossa is a fossa in the skull.
Contents |
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:
| 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 |
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
See also
Additional images
 Alveolar branches of superior maxillary nerve and pterygopalatine ganglion. |
 The pterygopalatine ganglion and its branches. |
External links
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