The sphenoidal process of palatine bone is a thin, superomedially directed plate of bone. It is smaller and more inferior compared to the
orbital process of palatine bone
The orbital process of the palatine bone is placed on a higher level than the sphenoidal, and is directed upward and lateralward from the front of the vertical part, to which it is connected by a constricted neck. It presents five surfaces, which e ...
.
Anatomy
Surfaces
* The superior surface articulates with the root of the pterygoid process and the under surface of the sphenoidal concha, its medial border reaching as far as the ala of the vomer; it presents a groove which contributes to the formation of the pharyngeal canal.
* The medial surface is concave, and forms part of the lateral wall of the nasal cavity.
* The lateral surface is divided into an articular and a non-articular portion: the former is rough, for articulation with the medial pterygoid plate; the latter is smooth, and forms part of the pterygopalatine fossa.
Borders
* The anterior border forms the posterior boundary of the
sphenopalatine notch
The sphenopalatine foramen is a foramen of the skull that connects the nasal cavity and the pterygopalatine fossa. It gives passage to the sphenopalatine artery, nasopalatine nerve, and the superior nasal nerve (all passing from the pterygopalatine ...
.
* The posterior border, serrated at the expense of the outer table, articulates with the vaginal process of the
medial pterygoid plate
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 med ...
of sphenoid bone.
* The medial border articulates with
ala of vomer.
The orbital and sphenoidal processes are separated from one another by the sphenopalatine notch. Sometimes the two processes are united above, and form between them a complete foramen, or the notch may be crossed by one or more spicules of bone, giving rise to two or more foramina.
Additional images
File:Gray167.png, Articulation of left palatine bone with maxilla.
File:Gray187.png, Base of skull. Inferior surface.
References
Bones of the head and neck
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