Temporal fossa

The temporal fossa is a space situated on the side of the skull. It is encompassed above and behind by two bony ridges known as the superior and inferior temporal lines. These ridges stretch from the zygomatic process of the temporal bone at the front to the supramastoid crest of the temporal bone at the back and bottom. The frontal process of the zygomatic bone and the zygomatic process of the frontal bone, which separate it from the eye socket, limit the temporal fossa at the front. Below, the temporal fossa connects with the infratemporal fossa through a channel that runs between the zygomatic arch on the outside and the infratemporal crest on the inside, which is part of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone.

A layer of tissue called the temporalis fascia covers the temporal fossa and its contents on the side. This tissue is firmly attached along the temporal lines and underneath the zygomatic arch. The bony floor of the temporal fossa consists of four different bones: the frontal, parietal, squamous temporal, and greater wing of the sphenoid bone. The meeting point of these four bones is referred to as the pterion. The bone in this area is delicate and can easily fracture if subjected to trauma to the side of the head. Such a fracture can result in the tearing of the underlying middle meningeal artery, leading to a potentially life-threatening epidural or extradural hemorrhage.

Notable structures within the temporal fossa include the temporalis muscle, along with various important blood vessels and nerves that lie beneath it. The nerves in this region consist of the zygomaticotemporal nerve (a branch of the maxillary nerve) and the deep temporal nerves (branches of the maxillary nerve). The arteries present include the deep temporal arteries (branches of the maxillary artery) and the middle temporal artery (a branch of the superficial temporal artery). These two arteries anastomose with each other within the temporal fossa, below the temporalis muscle.