Pterygopalatine Fossa Flashcards
What is hayfever?
Allergic rhinitis
- sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes
- allergy to pollen
- acute inflammation of nasal mucosa: dilation of blood vessels
- activation of ganglion of hayfever aka pterygopalatine ganglion
- Nasal glands secrete mucus
- Lacrimal glands produce tears
Locate the pterygopalatine fossa:
- beneath apex of orbital core
- anterior to pterygoid process of sphenoid bone
- posterior to maxilla
- medial to infra-temporal fossa
- lateral to postero-superior part of lateral wall of nasal cavity
What does the pterygopalatine fossa communicate with?
- Orbit via inferior orbital fissue (anteriorly)
- Middle cranial fossa via foramen rotundum and pterygoid canal (posteriorly)
- Infratemporal fossa via pterygomaxillary fissure (laterally)
- Nasal cavity via sphenopalatine foramen (medially)
List the contents of the pterygopalatine fossa:
- terminal 1/3rd of maxillary artery
- CN Vb
- pterygopalatine ganglion (ganglion of hayfever)
Name the branches of the terminal part of maxillary artery:
- sphenopalatine
- descending palatine
- posterior superior alveolar
Passes through infra-orbital foramen onto face
- middle and anterior superior alveolar arteries
- infraorbital artery
Name the arteries which supply the maxillary teeth:
Which arteries supply the palate and nasal cavity?
Molars: posterior superior alveolar artery
Premolars: middle superior alveolar artery
Anteriors: anterior superior alveolar artery
Hard palate: greater palatine artery
Soft palate: lesser palatine artery
Nasal cavity: sphenopalatine artery
Name the nerves which supply the nasal cavity
Antero-superior: anterior ethmoidal branch of nasociliary (CN V1)
Postero-inferior: (CN V2)
- lateral: greater palatine nerve
- medial: nasopalatine nerve
Name the branches of the maxillary division of trigeminal (CN V2):
- ganglionic branches (pterogopalatie ganglion): nasopalatine, greater and lesser palatine nerves
- zygomatic: zygomaticofacial, zygomaticotemporal, communication with lacrimal nerve of CN V1
- posterior superior alveolar nerve
- middle superior alveolar nerve
- anterior superior alveolar nerve
- infraorbital nerve
Explain the sympathetic nerve supply to the nasal cavities:
- preganglionic sympathetic fibres from the brain travel down spinal cord
- exit spinal cord in T1 spinal nerve
- travel superiorly in the sympathetic chain
- synapse in superior cervical symapthetic ganglion
- postsynaptic sympathetic fibres pass onto internal carotid nerve
- transmits postsynaptic fibres onto surfae of internal carotid artery, where they form a plexus
- travel onto deep petrosal nerve
- passes through pterygoid canal and pterygopalatine ganglion (will not synapse)
- distribute along branches gaining access to nasal cavity mucosa
Explain the parasympathetic nerve supply to the nasal cavity:
- cranio-sacral supply via CN III, VII, IX and X
- CN VII carries presynaptic parasympathetic fibres to pterygopalatine ganglion
- synapse at pterygopalatine ganglion
- postsynaptic fibres to lacrimal gland, nasal and palatine region
Name the branches of the pterygopalatine ganglion:
- nerve of pterygoid canal
- lesser palatine nerve (to soft palate)
- greater palatine nerve (to hard palate)
- nasopalatine nerve (to nasal septum)
- lateral nasal (to mucous membrane of lateral wall of nasal cavity)
- zygomatic nerve (carrying parasympathetic fibres from CN VII to lacrimal gland)
What is the nerve of pterygoid canal made up of?
Greater and deep petrosal nerves carrying both presynaptic parasympathetic and postsynaptic sympathetic fibres
