Arteries of pterygopalatine fossa (Latin)

The main artery to be found in the fossa pterygopalatina is the pars pterygopalatina arteriae maxillaris. There is a lot of anatomical variation concerning the branches of this part of the arteriae maxillaris. Usually it gives off the a. palatina major and a. alveolaris superior posterior inside the fossa pterygopalatina, before it bifurcates in the a. infraorbitalis and a. sphenopalatina. The a. infraorbitalis enters the fissura orbitalis inferior anteriorly, while the a. sphenopalatina courses medially to enter the foramen sphenopalatinum. Two other arteries are worth mentioning here: the a. pharyngea and a. canalis pterygoidei, both of which course posteriorly to enter respectively the canalis palatovaginalis and the canalis pterygoidei.