The pyramidal process of the
palatine bone
In anatomy, the palatine bones (; derived from the Latin ''palatum'') are two irregular bones of the facial skeleton in many animal species, located above the uvula in the throat. Together with the maxilla, they comprise the hard palate.
Stru ...
projects backward and lateralward from the junction of the horizontal and vertical parts, and is received into the angular interval between the lower extremities of the
pterygoid plates.
On its posterior surface is a smooth, grooved, triangular area, limited on either side by a rough articular furrow. The furrows articulate with the pterygoid plates, while the grooved intermediate area completes the lower part of the
pterygoid fossa
The pterygoid fossa is an anatomical term for the fossa formed by the divergence of the lateral pterygoid plate and the medial pterygoid plate of the sphenoid bone.
Structure
The lateral and medial pterygoid plates (of the pterygoid process ...
and gives origin to a few fibers of the
Pterygoideus internus
The medial pterygoid muscle (or internal pterygoid muscle) is a thick, quadrilateral muscle of the face. It is supplied by the mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve (V). It is important in mastication (chewing).
Structure
The medial pterygo ...
.
The anterior part of the lateral surface is rough, for articulation with the tuberosity of the maxilla; its posterior part consists of a smooth triangular area which appears, in the articulated skull, between the tuberosity of the maxilla and the lower part of the lateral pterygoid plate, and completes the lower part of the infratemporal fossa.
On the base of the pyramidal process, close to its union with the horizontal part, are the
lesser palatine foramina
The lesser palatine foramina are a pair of foramina (openings) on each of the palatine bones, which form the posterior roof of the human mouth. They are sometimes referred to as the minor palatine foramina. The lesser palatine foramina form a pass ...
for the transmission of the posterior and middle
palatine nerves.
Additional images
File:Gray187.png, Base of skull. Inferior surface.
References
External links
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Bones of the head and neck
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