Sphenopalatine foramen
Encyclopedia
The sphenopalatine foramen is a foramen in the skull that connects the nasal cavity
with the pterygopalatine fossa
.
are separated by the sphenopalatine notch, which is converted into the sphenopalatine foramen by the under surface of the body of the sphenoid
.
In the articulated skull this foramen leads from the pterygopalatine fossa
into the posterior part of the superior meatus
of the nose, and transmits the sphenopalatine artery
and vein and the superior nasal
and nasopalatine nerve
s.
Nasal cavity
The nasal cavity is a large air filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face.- Function :The nasal cavity conditions the air to be received by the other areas of the respiratory tract...
with the pterygopalatine fossa
Pterygopalatine fossa
The pterygopalatine fossa is a fossa in the skull. It is the indented area medial to the pterygomaxillary fissure leading into the sphenopalatine foramen.-Boundaries:It has the following boundaries:...
.
Structure
The processes of the superior border of the palatine bonePalatine bone
The palatine bone is a bone in many species of the animal kingdom, commonly termed the palatum .-Human anatomy:...
are separated by the sphenopalatine notch, which is converted into the sphenopalatine foramen by the under surface of the body of the sphenoid
Sphenoid bone
The sphenoid bone is an unpaired bone situated at the base of the skull in front of the temporal bone and basilar part of the occipital bone.The sphenoid bone is one of the seven bones that articulate to form the orbit...
.
In the articulated skull this foramen leads from the pterygopalatine fossa
Pterygopalatine fossa
The pterygopalatine fossa is a fossa in the skull. It is the indented area medial to the pterygomaxillary fissure leading into the sphenopalatine foramen.-Boundaries:It has the following boundaries:...
into the posterior part of the superior meatus
Superior meatus
The superior meatus, the smallest of the three meatuses of the nose, occupies the middle third of the lateral wall of the nasal cavity.It lies between the superior nasal conchæ and middle nasal conchæ; the sphenopalatine foramen opens into it behind, and the posterior ethmoidal cells in front.The...
of the nose, and transmits the sphenopalatine artery
Sphenopalatine artery
The sphenopalatine artery is an artery of the head, commonly known as the artery of epistaxis.-Course:The sphenopalatine artery is a branch of the maxillary artery which passes through the sphenopalatine foramen into the cavity of the nose, at the back part of the superior meatus...
and vein and the superior nasal
External nasal nerve
The external nasal branches are terminal branches of the anterior ethmoidal nerves , and provide sensory innervation to the skin of the side of the nose and of the septum mobile nasi....
and nasopalatine nerve
Nasopalatine nerve
One branch of the posterior superior nasal branches , longer and larger than the others, is named the nasopalatine nerve ....
s.