Question | Answer |
What is the pterygopalatine fossa? | An inverted tear drop shaped spaces that lies between bones of the skull, like lateral pterygoid plate, posterior wall of maxilla, and the sphenoid bone |
The pterygopalatine fossa is also called: | Sphenopalatine fossa |
Why is this fossa important? | It has contents that give blood and nerve supply (sensory, parasympathetic, and sympathetic) to the nose, palate, orbit, and pharynx |
What bones border the pterygopalatine fossa? | 1) The sphenoid bone
2) The lateral pterygoid plate
3) Posterior wall of maxilla
4) Lateral surface of palatine |
Which bone forms the roof and the posterior wall of the fossa? | The sphenoid bone |
Which bone forms the posterior of the fossa? | The lateral pterygoid plate |
Which bone forms the anterior of the fossa? | The posterior wall of the maxilla |
Which bone forms the medial wall of the fossa? | The lateral surface of the palatine bone |
How does the pterygopalatine fossa communicate with the infratemporal fossa? | Through the pterygomaxillary fissure (which lies between the pterygoid and maxilla) |
Which structures pass through the pterygomaxillary fissure? | The maxillary nerve and artery. but in opposite directions |
What part of the maxillary artery passes through the pterygomaxillary fissure TO THE pterygopalatine fossa? | The third part |
What structure passes towards the infratemporal fossa? | Maxillary nerve |
Which foramen is the largest? | The sphenopalatine foramen |
Which foramen is medial to the pterygopalatine fossa? | The sphenopalatine foramen |
Which bone is the sphenopalatine foramen located in? | The palatine bone |
Nerves and arteries enter through this foramen to: | The nasal cavity |
The sphenoid bone provides the communication between the pterygopalatine fossa and middle cranial fossa by which two foramina? | 1) The foramen rotundum
2) Inferior to the foramen rotundum; the pterygoid canal |
How does the maxillary nerve pass from the middle cranial fossa to the pterygopalatine fossa? | Through the foramen rotundum |
The pterygoid canal starts from : | The middle cranial fossa to the pterygopalatine fossa |
Which structure passes through the pterygoid canal? | The nerve of the pterygoid canal |
What is the foramen lacerum? | A foramen that lies at the base of the skull |
What is the roof of the foramen lacerum made up of? | Cartilage and occupied by the internal carotid artery |
Where is the pterygoid canal located? | In the cartilage of the foramen lacerum |
So what makes up the superior part of the pterygoid canal? | The internal cartoid artery that goes to the cavernous sinus |
How does the pterygopalatine fossa communicate with the nasopharynx? | Superioposteriorly through the palatovaginal canal |
What structures pass through the palatovaginal canal? | The pharyngeal branches of arteries and nerves coming from the pterygopalatine ganglion --> to the nasopharynx |
What are the 3 posterior communications? | 1) Foramen rotundum
2) Pterygoid canal with the middle cranial fossa
3) The palatiovaginal canal with the nasopharynx |
What is the canal between the pterygopalatine fossa and oral cavity? | The palatine canal |
Which structures pass through the palatine canal? | The palatine nerve and vessels |
Each palatine vessels give: | Greater and lesser palatine |
The lesser palatine is for the: | Soft palatine |
The greater palatine is for the: | Hard palatine and nose |
Another communication between the pterygopalatine fossa and the oral cavity is through the: | Inferior orbital fissure |
Which structure enter through the inferior orbital fissure: | The maxillary nerve and artery |
In the orbital cavity, these vessels end as: | The infraorbital nerve and vessels |
What are the major contents of the pterygopalatine fossa? | 1) Maxillary nerve
2) Terminal part of maxillary artery
3) Nerve of pterygoid canal
4) Pterygopalatine ganglion
5) Veins and lymphatics |
What type of nerve is the maxillary nerve? | Sensory branch of the trigeminal ganglion |
What is the main nerve supply to the nose? | Maxillary nerve |
What does the maxillary nerve also supply? | 1) The orbit
2) Pharynx
3) Palate |
What is the pathway of the maxillary nerve? | 1) It lies in the middle cranial fossa
2) Reaches the pterygopalatine fossa through the foramen rotundum
3) Goes to the infratemporal fossa through the pterygomaxillary fissure
4) It returns to the inferior orbital fissure to enter the orbital cavity |
In the pterygomaxillary fissure, the maxillary nerve gives: | The posterior superior alveolar branch on the posterior wall of the maxilla |
The posterior superior alveolar branch supplies the: | Molar and premolar teeth, buccal gingivae, and maxillary air sinus |
In the inferior orbital fissure, the maxillary nerve gives: | The middle superior alveolar branch and anterior superior alveolar branch |
The middle superior alveolar branch supplies the: | Premolars |
The anterior superior alveolar branch supplies the: | Canines and incisors |
Which branch of the maxillary nerve enters the orbit through the inferior orbital fissure? | The zygomatic branch |
The zygomatic branch gives 2 branches: | 1) Zygomaticotemporal branch
2) Zygomaticofacial nerve |
The zygomaticotemporal branch carries: | Sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers |
The zygomaticotemporal branch carries these fibers to: | The lacrimal nerve |
Where does the lacrimal nerve go? | The lacrimal gland
Then, the skin of the temporal |
What is the zygomaticofacial nerve? | The sensory nerve to the skin of zygome |
Where does the maxillary nerve continue in the orbital cavity? | It passes in the floor of the orbital cavity, then through a groove called the orbital groove, then orbital canal, then exits from the infraorbital foramen to terminate as the infraorbital nerve |
Maxillary artery is a branch of: | The External carotid artery |
The pathway of the maxilary artery: | 1) It passes deep to the neck of mandible.
2)Then,in the infratemporal fossa,the lateralpterygoid muscle divides the artery into three parts |
Where do the three parts go? | 1st part before the lateral pterygoid muscle
2nd part superficial or deep to the lateral pterygoid muscle
3rd part after the lateral pterygoid muscle |
What are the relations of the 1st part of the maxillary artery? | Medial: the sphenomandibular ligament
Lateral: the neck of mandible
Above: Auriculotemporal nerve
Below: the maxillary vein. |
What are the branches of the 1st part of the maxillary artery? | Inferior alveolar nerve
Middle meningeal nerve
Accessory middle meningeal
Other two arteries pass to the ear through the external auditory meatus |
The inferior alveolar nerve goes to: | The mandibular foramen then the mandibular
canal to the lower teeth |
The middle meningeal nerve goes: | Upwards and enters the foramen spinosum |
The accesory middle meningeal enters: | Foramen ovale and they go to the middle cranial fossa from the base of skull to the middle cranial fossa |
What are the relations of the 2nd part of the maxillary artery? | Superficial or deep to the lateral pterygoid muscle |
What are the branches of the 2nd part of the maxillary artery? | 5 branches to the muscles of mastication:
Temporalis muscle ,
Masseter muscle
Lateral pterygoid muscle
Medial pterygoid muscle |
What are the relations of the 3rd part of the maxillary artery? | Passes from the infratemporal fossa through the pterygomaxillary fissure to reach the pterygopalatine fossa |
What are the branches of the 3rd part of the maxillary artery? | Orbital branches,pharyngeal branches
Sphenopalatine artery(short and long)
Palatine(greater/lesser)
It gives posterior,middle and anterior superior alveolar
Infraorbital artery;3 branches palpebral ,nasal, superior labial
Artery of pterygoid canal |
What is the nerve of the pterygoid canal? | A plexus of nerves that are found around the internal carotid artery |
It contains two types of fibers : | Parasympathetic fibers ( form the greater petrosal nerve) & sympathetic fibers (from deep petrosal nerve) |
These two together pass in the pterygoid canal from the middle cranial fossa to the pterygopalatine fossa and end in: | The Pterygopalatine ganglion |
So, the origin of the nerve of the pterygoid canal is: | 1)Deep petrosal (sympathetic) which has started from the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion ,
2)Greater petrosal(parasympathetic) which starts from the geniculate ganglion of facial nerve in the brain. |
Pterygopalatine ganglion are called: | Parasympathetic ganglion |
Why are they considered parasympathetic? | The greater petrosal nerve which carries the parasympathetic fibers synapse in this ganglion (pre and post ganglionic)
There is synapse for the parasympathetic fibers |
Unlike, the greater petrosal, the deep petrosal carries sympathetic fibers which are: | Postganglionic only
It can't synapse in the pterygopalatine ganglion |
The postganglionic fibers of both nerve: | Pass through the branches through the maxillary nerve |
When the maxillary nerve reaches the pterygopalatine fossa it gives two nerves called: | Twigs of nerves (sensory) |
The branches of the maxillary nerve together with the fibers from the ganglion go to: | 1) The periosteum, sphenoidal and ethmoidal sinuses
2) The nasopharynx
3) Nose through sphenopalatine foramen (long and short)
4) Palatine nerve through palatine canal
5) Inferior orbital fissure as zygomaticotemporal and zygomaticofacial (Sheet 11) |
What's the innervation of the lacrimal gland? | Lacrimal nerve that receives the parasympathetic and sympathetic fibers through the zygomaticotemporal branch |
Veins generally follow which direction? | The direction opposite to the arteries |
The maxillary vein meets in the parotid gland with: | Superficial temporal and unite to form retromandibular vein |
Retromandibular vein divides into: | Anterior division and posterior division |
The posterior division unites with the posterior auricular to form: | External jagular vein. |
The anterior division unites with the facial to form: | The common facial vein. |
Pterygoid plexus may communicate through emissionary veins with the: | Cavernous sinus |
Upper part may also reach the cavernous sinus through the: | Opthalmic vein |