Preferred Label : pterygomaxillary fissure;
Uberon definition : 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.;
Origin ID : 0013445;
Automatic exact mappings (from CISMeF team)
- Uberon cross reference
- part of
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.
