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Information about Infratemporal Fossa

Left infratemporal fossa.
Latinfossa infratemporalis
subject #46 184
Dorlands/Elsevier f_14/12376096
The infratemporal fossa is an irregularly shaped cavity, situated below and medial to the zygomatic arch.

Boundaries

It is bounded by the following structures: it has no floor

Contents of the infratemporal fossa

Muscles

  • the lower part of the Temporalis muscle
  • the Pterygoidei internus and externus (internal and external pterygoid muscle)

Vessels

The internal maxillary vessles, consisting of the maxillary artery originating from the external carotid artery and its branches.

Internal maxillary branches found within the infratemporal fossa including the

Nerves

Mandibular nerve, inferior alveolar nerve, lingual nerve, buccal nerve, chorda tympani nerve, and otic ganglion.[1]

Mandibular nerve

Motor branches: Its motor fibers innervate all the muscles of mastication plus the mylohyoid, anterior belly of the digestive, and the tensores veli palati and tympani

Sensory innervation:

Osteology

The foramen ovale and foramen spinosum open on its roof, and the alveolar canals on its anterior wall.

At its upper and medial part are two fissures, which together form a T-shaped fissure, the horizontal limb being named the inferior orbital, and the vertical one the pterygomaxillary.

References

1. ^ Moore, Keith L & Dalley, Arthur (2006). Clinically oriented anatomy (5th ed.), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
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Bones of head and neck: cranial sutures, fontanelles, and related regions
Cranial suturesCoronal - Lambdoid - Occipitomastoid - Sphenofrontal - Sphenoparietal - Sphenosquamosal - Sphenozygomatic -Squamosal - Zygomaticotemporal - Zygomaticofrontal - Frontal/Metopic - Sagittal - Frontoethmoidal - Petrosquamous - Sphenoethmoidal - Sphenopetrosal
FontanellesAnterior fontanelle - Posterior fontanelle
Foramina of multiple bonesInferior orbital fissure - Foramen lacerum - Jugular foramen - Nasolacrimal canal
FossaeAnterior cranial fossa - Middle cranial fossa - Posterior cranial fossa - Cranial cavity
Other compound structuresAsterion - Nasion - Pterion - Dacryon - Zygomatic arch - Calvaria - Temporal fossa - Infratemporal fossa - Stephanion - Pterygomaxillary fissure - Pterygopalatine fossa
Latin}}} 
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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The zygomatic arch is formed by the zygomatic process of temporal bone (a bone extending forward from the side of the skull, over the opening of the ear) and the temporal process of the zygomatic (the side of the cheekbone), the two being united by an oblique suture; the tendon of
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The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible, which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis.
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Zygomatic process is a protrusion from the rest of the skull, like the bumper of a car. Most of it belongs to the zygomatic bone, and could therefore be called the zygomatic process of the zygomatic bone.
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articular tubercle (eminentia articularis).

This tubercle forms the front boundary of the mandibular fossa, and in the fresh state is covered with cartilage.

External links

  • Image at wayne.

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The temporal bones are situated at the sides and base of the skull.

The temporal bone supports that part of the face known as the temple.

Parts

Each consists of five parts:
  • Squama temporalis
  • Mastoid portion
  • Petrous portion
  • Tympanic part

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spina angularis (sphenoidal spine).

External links

  • SUNY Figs 27:02-04 - "Schematic view of key landmarks of the infratemporal fossa."
  • Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34257.

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The sphenoid bone (from Greek sphenoeides, "wedgelike") is a bone situated at the base of the skull in front of the temporals and basilar part of the occipital bone.

The sphenoid bone somewhat resembles a butterfly or bat with its wings extended.
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The greater wing of the sphenoid bone, or ali-sphenoid, is a bony process of the sphenoid bone; there is one on each side, extending from the side of the body of the sphenoid and curving upward, laterally, and backwards.
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The lateral surface of the great wing is convex, and divided by a transverse ridge, the infratemporal crest, into two portions.

The superior or temporal portion, convex from above downward, concave from before backward, forms a part of the temporal fossa, and gives
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The squama of the temporal bone forms the anterior and upper part of the bone, and is scale-like, thin, and translucent.

Surfaces

Its outer surface is smooth and ; it affords attachment to the temporalis muscle, and forms part of the temporal fossa; on its hinder
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The alveolar process is the thickened ridge of bone that contains the tooth sockets on bones that bear teeth. It is also referred to as the alveolar bone. In humans, the tooth-bearing bones are the maxilla and the mandible.
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The lateral pterygoid plate of the sphenoid (or lateral lamina of pterygoid process) is broad, thin, and everted; its lateral surface forms part of the medial wall of the infratemporal fossa, and gives attachment to the Pterygoideus externus; its medial surface forms part
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The ramus of the mandible (perpendicular portion) is quadrilateral in shape, and has two surfaces, four borders, and two processes.

Surfaces

The lateral surface is flat and marked by oblique ridges at its lower part; it gives attachment throughout nearly the whole
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The temporalis muscle is one of the muscles of mastication.

Structure

It arises from the temporal fossa and the deep part of temporal fascia. It passes medial to the zygomatic arch and inserts onto the coronoid process of the mandible.
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Pterygoid (from the Greek for 'winglike') can refer to:
  • a plate near the Vomer bone
  • a muscle such as Lateral pterygoid muscle or Medial pterygoid muscle
  • a branch of the Mandibular nerve

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The maxillary artery (or internal maxillary artery in older texts) is an artery that supplies deep structures of the face.

Structure



The maxillary artery, the larger of the two terminal branches of the external carotid artery, arises behind the neck of the
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In human anatomy, the external carotid artery is a major artery of the head and neck. It arises from the common carotid artery when it bifurcates into an internal and external branch.
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The middle meningeal artery (Latin arteria meningea media) is typically the first branch of the first part (retromandibular part) of the maxillary artery; one of the two terminal branches of the external carotid artery.
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The inferior alveolar artery (inferior dental artery) is an artery of the face.

Course

It descends with the inferior alveolar nerve to the mandibular foramen on the medial surface of the ramus of the mandible.
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The deep temporal arteries, two in number, anterior and posterior, ascend between the Temporalis and the pericranium.

They supply the muscle, and anastomose with the middle temporal artery.
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The buccal artery (buccinator artery) is small and runs obliquely forward, between the Pterygoideus internus and the insertion of the Temporalis, to the outer surface of the Buccinator, to which it is distributed, anastomosing with branches of the external maxillary and
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The mandibular nerve (V3) is the largest of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve.

Structure

Roots

It is made up of two roots:
  • a large sensory root proceeding from the inferior angle of the trigeminal ganglion.

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The inferior alveolar nerve (sometimes called the inferior dental nerve) is a branch of the mandibular nerve, which is itself the third branch (V3) of the fifth cranial nerve, the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V).
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The lingual nerve is a branch of the mandibular nerve (CN V3), itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve. The lingual nerve supplies sensory innervation to the mucous membrane of the anterior two-thirds of the tongue.
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The buccal nerve is a nerve in the face. It is a branch of the mandibular nerve (which is itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve) and transmits sensory information from skin over the buccal membrane (in general, the cheek) and from the second and third molar teeth.
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The chorda tympani is a nerve that branches from the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII) inside the facial canal, just before the facial nerve exits the skull via the stylomastoid foramen.
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The otic ganglion is a small, ovalshaped, flattened parasympathetic ganglion of a reddish-gray color, located immediately below the foramen ovale.

Location and relations


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The mandibular nerve (V3) is the largest of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve.

Structure

Roots

It is made up of two roots:
  • a large sensory root proceeding from the inferior angle of the trigeminal ganglion.

..... Click the link for more information.


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