Pterygopalatine fossa | |
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Details | |
Identifiers | |
Latin | fossa pterygopalatina |
MeSH | D056739 |
TA98 | A02.1.00.025 |
TA2 | 429 |
FMA | 75309 |
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.[1] 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.[2]
It has the following boundaries:
The following passages connect the fossa with other parts of the skull:[3]
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, |
The pterygopalatine fossa contains