Infratemporal fossa
Updates to Article Attributes
Body
was changed:
The infratemporal fossa is a complex space that lies posterolateral to the maxillary sinus and many important nerves and vessels traverse it.
Gross anatomy
The infratemporal fossa is the space between the skull base, lateral pharyngeal wall and the ramus of mandible.
Boundaries
- medially - lateral pterygoid plate; tensor veli palatini and levator veli palatini muscles; superior constrictor muscle
- laterally - ramus and condylar process of mandible
- anteriorly - posterolateral wall of the maxillary sinus
- posteriorly - carotid sheath
- floor - medial pterygoid muscle
- roof - greater wing of sphenoid; foramen ovale; foramen spinosum
Contents
- medial and lateral pterygoid muscles
- temporalis muscle
- maxillary artery and branches
- pterygoid venous plexus
- mandibular nerve and its branches (including lingual nerve)
- chorda tympani nerve
- posterior superior alveolar nerve of maxillary nerve
-<li>medially - lateral pterygoid plate; <a title="Tensor veli palatini" href="/articles/tensor-veli-palatini">tensor veli palatini</a> and <a title="levator veli palatini" href="/articles/levator-veli-palatini">levator veli palatini</a> muscles; <a href="/articles/superior-pharyngeal-constrictor-muscle">superior constrictor muscle</a>- +<li>medially - lateral pterygoid plate; <a href="/articles/tensor-veli-palatini">tensor veli palatini</a> and <a href="/articles/levator-veli-palatini">levator veli palatini</a> muscles; <a href="/articles/superior-pharyngeal-constrictor-muscle">superior constrictor muscle</a>
-<li>roof - greater wing of <a href="/articles/sphenoid-bone">sphenoid</a>; <a href="/articles/foramen-ovale-skull">foramen ovale</a>; <a href="/articles/foramen-spinosum">foramen spinosum</a>- +<li>roof - <a title="Greater wing of sphenoid" href="/articles/greater-wing-of-sphenoid">greater wing</a> of <a href="/articles/sphenoid-bone">sphenoid</a>; <a href="/articles/foramen-ovale-skull">foramen ovale</a>; <a href="/articles/foramen-spinosum">foramen spinosum</a>
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