The glossopharyngeal nerve, known as the ninth cranial nerve, is a mixed nerve that carries afferent sensory and efferent motor information. It exits the brainstem out from the sides of the upper medulla, just rostral to the vagus nerve. The motor division of the glossopharyngeal nerve is derived from the basal plate of the embryonic medulla oblongata, while the sensory division originates from the cranial neural crest.
The temporal bones are situated at the sides and base of the skull, and lateral to the temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex.
The internal carotid artery is a major paired artery, one on each side of the head and neck, in human anatomy. They arise from the common carotid arteries where these bifurcate into the internal and external carotid arteries at cervical vertebral level 3 or 4; the internal carotid artery supplies the brain, while the external carotid nourishes other portions of the head, such as face, scalp, skull, and meninges.
The auriculotemporal nerve is a branch of the mandibular nerve (V3) that runs with the superficial temporal artery and vein, and provides sensory innervation to various regions on the side of the head.
In human anatomy, the anterior spinal artery is the artery that supplies the anterior portion of the spinal cord. It arises from branches of the vertebral arteries and courses along the anterior aspect of the spinal cord. It is reinforced by several contributory arteries, especially the artery of Adamkiewicz.
The internal auditory meatus is a canal within the petrous part of the temporal bone of the skull between the posterior cranial fossa and the inner ear.
The ascending pharyngeal artery is an artery in the neck that supplies the pharynx.
The mastoid part of the temporal bone is the back part of the temporal bone. Its rough surface gives attachment to various muscles and it has openings for the transmission of blood vessels. From its borders the mastoid part articulates with two other bones.
The petrous part of the temporal bone is pyramid-shaped and is wedged in at the base of the skull between the sphenoid and occipital bones. Directed medially, forward, and a little upward, it presents a base, an apex, three surfaces, and three angles, and houses in its interior, the components of the inner ear. The petrous portion is among the most basal elements of the skull and forms part of the endocranium. Petrous comes from the Latin word petrosus, meaning "stone-like, hard". It is one of the densest bones in the body.
The facial canal (also known as the Fallopian Canal – first described by Gabriele Falloppio-) is a Z-shaped canal running through the temporal bone from the internal acoustic meatus to the stylomastoid foramen. In humans it is approximately 3 centimeters long, which makes it the longest human osseous canal of a nerve. It is located within the middle ear region, according to its shape it is divided into three main segments: the labyrinthine, the tympanic, and the mastoidal segment. It contains Cranial Nerve VII, also known as the facial nerve.
The deep auricular artery often arises in common with the anterior tympanic artery.
The anterior tympanic artery is a small artery in the head that supplies the middle ear. It usually arises as a branch of the first part of the maxillary artery. It passes upward behind the temporomandibular articulation, enters the tympanic cavity through the petrotympanic fissure, and ramifies upon the tympanic membrane, forming a vascular circle around the membrane with the stylomastoid branch of the posterior auricular, and anastomosing with the artery of the pterygoid canal and with the caroticotympanic branch from the internal carotid.
The infratemporal fossa is an irregularly shaped cavity, situated below and medial to the zygomatic arch. It is not fully enclosed by bone in all directions, and it contains superficial muscles that are visible during dissection after removing skin and fascia: namely, the lower part of the temporalis muscle, the lateral pterygoid, and the medial pterygoid.
The petrotympanic fissure is a fissure in the temporal bone that runs from the temporomandibular joint to the tympanic cavity.
The superior tympanic artery is a small artery in the head. It is a branch of the middle meningeal artery. On entering the cranium it runs in the canal for the tensor tympani muscle and supplies this muscle and the lining membrane of the canal.
The caroticotympanic arteries are small branches of the internal carotid artery; they enter the tympanic cavity through a minute foramen in the carotid canal, and anastomose with the anterior tympanic branch of the internal maxillary, and with the posterior tympanic branch of the stylomastoid artery.
The petrosal branch of middle meningeal artery enters the hiatus for greater petrosal nerve, supplies the facial nerve and anastomoses with the stylomastoid branch of the posterior auricular artery.
The inferior tympanic artery is a small branch of the ascending pharyngeal artery.
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Gray's Anatomy is an English language textbook of human anatomy originally written by Henry Gray and illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter. Earlier editions were called Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical and Gray's Anatomy: Descriptive and Applied, but the book's name is commonly shortened to, and later editions are titled, Gray's Anatomy. The book is widely regarded as an extremely influential work on the subject, and has continued to be revised and republished from its initial publication in 1858 to the present day. The latest edition of the book, the 41st, was published in September 2015.
