Pterygopalatine fossa

Pterygopalatine fossa
Gray159.png
Left maxillary sinus opened from the exterior.
Pterygopalatine fossa.PNG
Human skull with entrance to pterygopalatine fossa marked in red
Details
Identifiers
Latinfossa pterygopalatina
MeSHD056739
TA98A02.1.00.025
TA2429
FMA75309
Anatomical terms of bone

In human anatomy, the pterygopalatine fossa (sphenopalatine fossa) is a fossa in the skull. A human skull contains two pterygopalatine fossae—one on the left side, and another on the right side. Each fossa is a cone-shaped paired depression deep to the infratemporal fossa and posterior to the maxilla on each side of the skull, located between the pterygoid process and the maxillary tuberosity close to the apex of the orbit. It is the indented area medial to the pterygomaxillary fissure leading into the sphenopalatine foramen. It communicates with the nasal and oral cavities, infratemporal fossa, orbit, pharynx, and middle cranial fossa through eight foramina.

Structure

Boundaries

It has the following boundaries:

Passages

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

Direction Passage Connection
Posteriorly foramen rotundum middle cranial fossa
pterygoid canal (Vidian) middle cranial fossa, foramen lacerum
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

Functions

The pterygopalatine fossa contains

See also

Additional images


This page was last updated at 2023-01-01 06:20 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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