Pterygopalatine Plates
Pterygopalatine is used to refer to structures of the pterygoid processes of the sphenoid and the palatine bone. Specifically, it can refer to: * Pterygopalatine fossa * Palatovaginal canal (Greater palatine canal or Pterygopalatine canal) * Pterygopalatine ganglion The pterygopalatine ganglion (aka Meckel's ganglion, nasal ganglion, or sphenopalatine ganglion) is a parasympathetic ganglion in the pterygopalatine fossa. It is one of four parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck, (the others being the s ...

Pterygoid Processes Of The Sphenoid
The pterygoid processes of the sphenoid (from Greek ''pteryx'', ''pterygos'', "wing"), one on either side, descend perpendicularly from the regions where the body and the greater wings of the sphenoid bone unite. Each process consists of a medial pterygoid plate and a lateral pterygoid plate, the latter of which serve as the origins of the medial and lateral pterygoid muscles. The medial pterygoid, along with the masseter allows the jaw to move in a vertical direction as it contracts and relaxes. The lateral pterygoid allows the jaw to move in a horizontal direction during mastication (chewing). Fracture of either plate are used in clinical medicine to distinguish the Le Fort fracture classification for high impact injuries to the sphenoid and maxillary bones. The superior portion of the pterygoid processes are fused anteriorly; a vertical groove, the pterygopalatine fossa, descends on the front of the line of fusion. The plates are separated below by an angular cleft, th ...
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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. Structure The palatine bones are situated at the back of the nasal cavity between the maxilla and the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone. They contribute to the walls of three cavities: the floor and lateral walls of the nasal cavity, the roof of the mouth, and the floor of the orbits. They help to form the pterygopalatine and pterygoid fossae, and the inferior orbital fissures. Each palatine bone somewhat resembles the letter L, and consists of a horizontal plate, a perpendicular plate, and three projecting processes—the pyramidal process, which is directed backward and lateral from the junction of the two parts, and the orbital and sphenoidal processes, which surmount the vertical part, and are separated by a deep notch, the s ...
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Pterygopalatine Fossa
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. 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. Structure Boundaries It has the following boundaries: * ''anterior'': superomedial part of the infratemporal surface of maxilla * ''posterior'': root of the pterygoid process and adjoining anterior surface of the greater wing of sphenoid bone * ''medial'': perpendicular plate of the palatine bone and its orbital an ...
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Greater Palatine Canal
The greater palatine canal (or pterygopalatine canal) is a passage in the skull that transmits the descending palatine artery, vein, and greater and lesser palatine nerves between the pterygopalatine fossa and the oral cavity. Structure The greater palatine canal starts on the inferior aspect of the pterygopalatine fossa. It goes through the maxilla and palatine bones to reach the palate, ending at the greater palatine foramen. From this canal, accessory canals branch off; these are known as the lesser palatine canals. The canal is formed by a vertical groove on the posterior part of the maxillary surface of the palatine bone; it is converted into a canal by articulation with the maxilla. The canal transmits the descending palatine vessels, the greater palatine nerve, and the lesser palatine nerve. See also * Greater palatine foramen * Pterygopalatine fossa In human anatomy, the pterygopalatine fossa (sphenopalatine fossa) is a fossa in the skull. A human skull conta ...
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Palatovaginal Canal
The palatovaginal canal (also pharyngeal canal) is a small canal formed between the sphenoidal process of palatine bone, and vaginal process of sphenoid bone. It connects the pterygopalatine fossa and and nasal cavity. It transmits the pharyngeal nerve (pharyngeal branch of maxillary nerve), and the pharyngeal branch of maxillary artery. Anatomy Its proximal opening is situated inferoposteriorly in the pterygopalatine fossa. Its distal opening is situated in the nasal cavity at the root of the pterygoid process near the lateral margin of the ala of vomer. Variation An inconstant vomerovaginal canal may lie between the ala of the vomer and the vaginal process of the sphenoid bone, medial to the palatovaginal canal, and lead into the anterior end of the palatovaginal canal. Contents The pharyngeal branch of the maxillary artery supplies the nasopharynx, posterior part of the roof of the nasal cavity The nasal cavity is a large, air-filled space above and behind the ...
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