Temporal fascia

Fascia temporalis

Definition

The temporal fascia covers the Temporalis muscle.

It is a strong, fibrous investment, covered, laterally, by the Auricularis anterior and superior, by the galea aponeurotica, and by part of the Orbicularis oculi. The superficial temporal vessels and the auriculotemporal nerve cross it from below upward. Above, it is a single layer, attached to the entire extent of the superior temporal line; but below, where it is fixed to the zygomatic arch, it consists of two layers:

  • The superficial layer is attached to the lateral border of the zygomatic arch
  • The deep layer is attached to the medial border of the zygomatic arch.

A small quantity of fat, the orbital branch of the superficial temporal artery, and a filament from the zygomatic branch of the maxillary nerve, are contained between these two layers. It affords attachment by its deep surface to the superficial fibers of the Temporalis. 

References

This definition incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy (20th U.S. edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918 – from http://www.bartleby.com/107/).

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