Pterygomaxillary fissure

Pterygomaxillary fissure
Left infratemporal fossa. (Pterygomaxillary fissure labeled at bottom left.)
Latin	fissura pterygomaxillaris
Gray's	subject #46 185

The pterygomaxillary fissure is a fissure of the human skull. It is vertical, and descends at right angles from the medial end of the inferior orbital fissure; it is a triangular interval, formed by the divergence of the maxilla from the pterygoid process of the sphenoid.

It connects the infratemporal with the pterygopalatine fossa, and transmits the terminal part of the maxillary artery. Alveolar branches of the maxillary nerve go from the pterygopalatine fossa to the infratemporal region via this fissure.

In older texts, the pterygomaxillary fissure is sometimes called the pterygopalatine fissure.

External links

• SUNY Figs 27:02-01
• UNC.edu

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.