| Pterygopalatine fossa | |
|---|---|
 Left maxillary sinus opened from the exterior. | |
 Human skull with entrance to pterygopalatine fossa marked in red | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | fossa pterygopalatina |
| MeSH | D056739 |
| TA98 | A02.1.00.025 |
| TA2 | 429 |
| FMA | 75309 |
| Anatomical terms of bone | |
In human anatomy, thepterygopalatine fossa (sphenopalatine fossa) is afossa in theskull. 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 theinfratemporal fossa and posterior to themaxilla on each side of the skull, located between thepterygoid process and themaxillary tuberosity close to the apex of the orbit.[1] It is the indented area medial to thepterygomaxillary fissure leading into thesphenopalatine foramen. It communicates with the nasal and oral cavities, infratemporal fossa, orbit, pharynx, and middle cranial fossa through eightforamina.[2]
It has the following boundaries:
The following passages connect the fossa with other parts of the skull:[3]
| Direction | Passage | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Posteriorly | foramen rotundum | middle cranial fossa |
| pterygoid canal (Vidian) | middle cranial fossa,foramen lacerum | |
| palatovaginal canal (pharyngeal) | nasal cavity/nasopharynx | |
| Anteriorly | inferior orbital fissure | orbit |
| Medially | sphenopalatine foramen | nasal cavity |
| Laterally | pterygomaxillary fissure | infratemporal fossa |
| Inferiorly | greater palatine canal (pterygopalatine) | oral cavity, |
The pterygopalatine fossa contains
