Pterygoid canal: Difference between revisions
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Latest revision as of 01:08, 18 February 2025
Pterygoid Canal
The Pterygoid Canal (also known as the Vidian Canal) is a canal in the skull that transmits the Vidian nerve, a branch of the facial nerve. It is named after the Pterygoid process, a bony protrusion in the skull, and the Greek word "oid", meaning "like", due to its location and shape.
Etymology[edit]
The term "Pterygoid" is derived from the Greek words "pteryx" and "eidos", meaning "wing" and "form" respectively. This is in reference to the wing-like shape of the Pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone, where the canal is located. The term "Vidian" is named after Guido Guidi, a 16th-century Italian anatomist who first described the canal.
Anatomy[edit]
The Pterygoid Canal runs from the foramen lacerum to the pterygopalatine fossa, passing through the sphenoid bone. It transmits the Vidian nerve, a branch of the facial nerve, and the Vidian artery, a branch of the maxillary artery.
Clinical Significance[edit]
Due to its location and the structures it transmits, the Pterygoid Canal is of clinical significance in several medical conditions. These include Vidian nerve neuralgia, a rare condition characterized by severe facial pain, and Vidian neurectomy, a surgical procedure to cut the Vidian nerve in order to treat certain conditions such as chronic rhinitis.
