Infratemporal Surface Of The Greater Wing, Posterior View

Description

Greater wing of the sphenoid is presented from a posterior skull base perspective, centering on its infratemporal surface, the roughened area that faces the infratemporal fossa inferior to the infratemporal crest. Posteriorly and medially, the greater wing approaches the pterygoid process and the root of the lateral pterygoid plate, while its lateral margin continues toward the squamous temporal region at the spheno-squamosal junction. The foramina of the greater wing are positioned in this field, with the foramen ovale lying anteromedial to the smaller foramen spinosum, and the sphenoidal spine projecting posterolateral to them as a sharp bony landmark. A hard, irregular surface. This is the side of the sphenoid that matters in percutaneous and open skull base corridors. Foramen ovale transmits the mandibular nerve (V3) and is targeted in procedures such as radiofrequency ablation for trigeminal neuralgia or balloon compression, while the adjacent foramen spinosum carries the middle meningeal artery, the vessel classically implicated in epidural hematoma after temporal region trauma. The posterior view clarifies how closely these apertures cluster around the sphenoidal spine, a relationship that can be difficult to appreciate on anterior cranial base diagrams and that helps you orient bony landmarks when correlating with axial CT of the skull base. Use this illustration in head and neck anatomy labs, dental and maxillofacial teaching on the infratemporal fossa, and neurosurgical or ENT publishing that discusses foramen ovale cannulation, middle meningeal artery anatomy, or skull base approaches near the sphenoid. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.