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Where is Pterygoid Venous Plexus Located?
Location: Pterygoid venous plexus is located around the maxillary artery and lateral pterygoid muscle in the infratemporal fossa.
Enumerate the tributaries of Pterygoid Venous Plexus.
Tributaries: It receives tributaries corresponding with the branches of the maxillary artery, which are:
- alveolar veins
- middle meningeal vein
- deep temporal vein
- pterygoid vein
- masseteric vein
- buccal vein
- sphenopalatine vein
- palatine veins
Where Does Pterygoid Venous Plexus drains?
It drains into short maxillary vein (which accompanies first part of maxillary artery) which in turn joins superficial temporal vein to form retromandibular vein (within the parotid gland).
What are the connections of Pterygoid Venous Plexus?
Connections: Pterygoid venous plexus is connected to:
- Facial vein via deep facial
- Inferior ophthalmic vein via a branch which passes through the inferior orbital fissure.
- Cavernous sinus via emissary veins which pass through foramen ovale and foramen spinosum.
Applied Aspect
The communications of pterygoid venous plexus may lead to spread of infections from the dangerous area of face to the cavernous sinus which can cause cavernous sinus thrombosis.