Sphenopalatine foramen

Bone: Sphenopalatine foramen
Medial wall of left orbit. (Sphenopalatine foramen labeled in upper right.)
Left palatine bone. Posterior aspect. Enlarged. (Sphenopalatine foramen labeled in upper right.)
Latin foramen sphenopalatinum
Gray's subject #41 168

The sphenopalatine foramen is a foramen in the skull that connects the nasal cavity with the pterygopalatine fossa.

Structure

The processes of the superior border of the palatine bone 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 nerves.

Additional images

External links

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 As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.