Temporal fossa

The temporal fossa is a fossa (shallow depression) on the side of the skull bounded by the temporal lines above, and the zygomatic arch below. Its floor is formed by the outer surfaces of four bones of the skull. The fossa is filled by the temporalis muscle.

Temporal fossa
The temporal fossa is clearly visible in this picture
Details
Identifiers
Latin	fossa temporalis
TA98	A02.1.00.022
TA2	426
FMA	75307
Anatomical terminology

Anatomy

Boundaries

• Medial/floor: frontal bone, parietal bone, (squamous part of) temporal bone, and sphenoid bone. The floor of the fossa features the pterion (the junction of these four bones).
• Lateral/roof: temporal fascia.
• Anterior: (posterior surface of) the frontal process of zygomatic bone, (the posterior surface of) the zygomatic process of frontal bone, and the maxilla.
• Superior: Pair of temporal lines (superior and inferior temporal lines) that arch across the skull from the zygomatic process of the frontal bone to the supramastoid crest of the temporal bone
• Inferior: zygomatic arch laterally and by the infratemporal crest of the greater wing of the sphenoid medially.

Contents

• Temporalis muscle
• Deep temporal arteries
• Deep temporal nerves
• Zygomaticotemporal nerve

Relations

Deep to the zygomatic arch, the temporal fossa is inferiorly continuous with the (lateral part of) the infratemporal fossa.

Additional images

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  Temporal fossa