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)
