7 - Temporal, Infratemporal, and Pterygopalatine Fossae

Question 1

What is located within the temporal fossa?

Answer 1

The temporalis muscle: inserts on the coronoid process of the remus of the mandible.

Question 2

Where is the infratemporal fossa?

Answer 2

Inferior to the zygomatic arch, deep to the ramus of the mandible and posterior to the maxilla.

Question 3

What is located in the infratemporal fossa?

Answer 3

Muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and the otic ganglion.

Question 4

What muscles of mastication? What are they innervated by? What are they derived from?

Answer 4

Temporalis, masseter, lateral pterygoid, and medial pterygoid

Innervated by the mandibular n. (V3)

Derived from 1st arch.

Question 5

What is the function of the temporalis muscle?

Answer 5

Elevates mandible and retracts mandible by pulling backwards on the coronoid process.

Question 6

What is the location and function of the masseter muscle?

Answer 6

Zygomatic arch to the lateral surface and angle of the mandible.

Elevates mandible and protrudes jaw.

Question 7

What is the location and function of the lateral pterygoid muscle?

Answer 7

Greater wing and lateral pterygoid plate to the TMJ capsule and condyloid process (two muscle bellies).

Bilaterally protrudes mandible and depresses chin.

Unilaterally does large chewing motions (swinging back and forth)

Question 8

What is the location and function of the medial pterygoid muscle?

Answer 8

Lateral pterygoid plate to ramus of the mandible. Also connects to the inside angle of the mandible.

Bilaterally elevates mandible and protrudes the chin.

Unilaterally does small cheweing motions such as grinding.

Question 9

A common feature of the muscles of mastication is their attachment to which bone?

Answer 9

The mandible.

Question 10

The only muscle of mastication which contributes to opening the jaw is the _______?

Answer 10

Lateral pterygoid muscle.

Question 11

What type of joint is the temporomandibular joint? What are the parts of this this?

Answer 11

A hinge joint between the mandibular condyle and mandibular fossa of the temporal bone.

Question 12

What are the ligaments of the temporomandibular joint that connect the mandible to the cranium?

Answer 12

1. Lateral ligament: part of joint capsule
2. Stylomandibular ligament: extrinsic; probably doesn’t limit movement
3. Sphenomandibular ligament: taught when the jaw is half open; limits movement;. to protect joint.

Question 13

What are the two compartments of the TMJ and what separates them? What is each responsible for?

Answer 13

Articular disk separates the

1. Upper compartment: loose fibers for sliding movements
2. Lower compartment: taught fibers for rotational movement

Question 14

Dislocation of the TMJ is usually in what direction?

Answer 14

Anterior.

Question 15

What are the three portions of the maxillary artery?

Answer 15

1. Mandibular
2. Pterygoid
3. Pterygopalatine

Question 16

What are the parts of the mandibular portion of the maxillary artery?

Answer 16

Middle meningeal and inferior alveolar.

Question 17

What are the parts of the pterygoid portion of the maxillary artery?

Answer 17

Deep temporal a and muscular branches.

Question 18

What are the parts of the pterygopalatine portion of the maxillary artery?

Answer 18

1. Posterior superior alveolar a.
2. Infraorbital a.
3. Artery of the pterygoid canal
4. Descending palatine a.
5. Sphenopaloatine a.

Question 19

The auriculotemporal nerve splits to go around what vessel?

Answer 19

The middle meningeal artery.

Question 20

What are the two main nerves located in the infratemporal fossa?

Answer 20

Mandibular division (V3) and Facial n.

Question 21

What are the branches of the mandibular division (V3) in the infratemporal fossa?

Answer 21

1. Muscles branches (to muscles of mastication)
2. Buccal n. (sensory)
3. Auriculotemporal n.
4. Inferior alveolar (enters mandible)
5. Lingual n/

Question 22

What branches from the facial nerve in the infratemporal fossa?

Answer 22

The chorda tympani

Question 23

What does the inferior alveolar nerve give off before entering the mandible? Where does it come out and what it it called then?

Answer 23

Gives off the nerve to the myolohyoid muscle.

Eventually it comes out the mental foramen and becomes the mental n.

Question 24

What is the otic ganglion? Where is it located?

Answer 24

Parasympathetic ganglion deep to where the mandibular division (V3) goes through the foramen ovale.

Question 25

How do preganglionic neurons get to the otic ganglion? Where do they go after they synapse there?

Answer 25

Inferior salivatory nucleus sends out axons as CN IX.

Nerve forms the tympanic n. and passes through the tympanic canaliculus to the middle ear and exits through the hiatus for lesser petrosal n. (now the nerve is called lesser petrosal n.)

Terminates at otic ganglion and then the auroculotemporal n. goes to the parotid gland to cause secretion.

Question 26

What is the pterygopalatine fossa? What are the borders?

Answer 26

Pyramidal space on the side of the skull.

Anterior - maxilla
Posterior - pterygoid process of sphenoid bone
Superior - greater wing of sphenoid bone
Medial - vertical plate of palatine bone

Question 27

What are the six openings into the pterygopalatine fossa?

Answer 27

1. Pterygomaxillary fissure - entrance to cave
2. Inferior orbital fissure
3. Sphenopalatine foramen - medial wall (gets us to nasal cavity)
4. Pterygoid canal - on back wall
5. Foramen rotundum - on back wall
6. Greater and lesser palatine foramina - at apex

Question 28

Describe the path of the greater petrosal nerve to the ganglion where it synapses.

Answer 28

It comes out of the hiatus for the greater petrosal nerve and passes through the foramen lacerum carrying preganglionic sympathetic fibers towards the pterygopalatine fossa where it synapses at the pterygopalatine ganglia.

Question 29

What passes through the pterygomaxillary fissure? What doe it become?

Answer 29

The maxillary a., which goes into the cave and then the sphenopalatine foramen to become the sphenopalatine artery.

This artery passes into the nasal cavity to supply structures there.

Question 30

What goes through the foramen rotundum? What does it become?

Answer 30

The maxillary n., which enters the pterygopalatine fossa from the back wall and goes through the inferior orbital fissure to becomes the infraorbital n. that goes through the infraorbital canal to come out in front of the cheek to bring sensory info back from this region.

Question 31

What goes through the pterygoid canal? What is this nerve made up of?

Answer 31

The nerve of the pterygoid canal, which is made up of the greater petrosal nerve and the deep petrosal nerve.