Corpus: Pterygoid canal

The canalis pterygoideus is a bony canal that connects the pterygoid fossa (Fossa pterygopalatina) with the foramen lacerum and thus with the middle cranial fossa (Fossa cranii media).

The pterygoid canal pierces the base of the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone (Os sphenoidale). The intracranial access to the canal is the foramen lacerum.

The fibres of the greater petrosal nerve and the profundus petrosal nerve - united as the pterygoid canal nerve - run in the pterygoid canal and thus enter the pterygopalatine fossa. Furthermore, the canalis pterygoideus contains the canalis pterygoid artery and the canalis pterygoid vein.