Atypical course of Maxillary Artery Piercing the Temporalis Muscle in the Infratemporal Fossa

Maxillary artery is one of the important contents of the infratemporal fossa. Reports on branching variations of the maxillary artery in the infratemporal region have been documented in the literature. We report in here a rare case of very superficial course of maxillary artery in the infratemporal fossa. The artery pierced the temporalis muscle from superficial to deep and divided the muscle fibers into superficial anterior and deep posterior parts. Entrapment of the maxillary artery within the muscle fibers may cause numbness or headache and may interfere with the injection of local anesthetics into the infratemporal fossa. Detailed knowledge of variations of maxillary artery in the fossa is of particular relevance in oral maxillofacial surgeries, management of epistaxis, intractable neuralgias or headaches.