RARE COURSE OF MAXILLARY ARTERY IN INFRATEMPORAL FOSSA: A CASE REPORT

Maxillary artery, the large terminal branch of external carotid, enters infratemporal fossa passing medial to neck of mandible and then courses superficial or lateral to lateral pterygoid in majority of the cases to enter pterygopalatine fossa.In few cases the artery passes deep or medial to lateral pterygoid.The maxillary artery while passing medial to lateral pterygoid exhibits variable relationship with lingual and inferior alveolar nerves.During routine dissection we have observed a very rare variation of maxillary artery on the left side in a male cadaver.The second part of maxillary artery was passing deep to lateral pterygoid and both lingual and inferior alveolar nerves to enter pterygopalatine fossa.Such rare variation of the artery passing deep to the main branches of mandibular nerve is reported to occur in about 0.5% -3% cases in the literature.The variant course of maxillary artery has clinical implications during infratemporal fossa surgeries, T-M joint surgeries and anaesthetic procedures.