The maxillary artery and the lateral pterygoid muscle: the New Zealand story

Abstract

The most recent study of the relationship between the maxillary artery and the lateral pterygoid muscle was published in this journal in 2008.(1) Given the controversy surrounding this relationship, our purpose was to present data gathered from New Zealand caucasoid cadavers over several years. Both sides of 92 caucasoid adult cadaveric heads (45 male, 47 female) were dissected by 3 successive years of third-year medical students and second-year dental students. The infratemporal approach was used. Once the dissections reached the plane of the maxillary artery and lateral pterygoid muscle, their relationship was recorded, together with exemplary images. Sexual and symmetrical differences were noted. In the 53 cases where bilateral dissection had been successful, the second part of the maxillary artery was found superficial to the lower head of the lateral pterygoid muscle in 30 cases (57%)-in 70% of the males and 39% of the females. One male and 1 female presented bilateral asymmetry. The finding of 2 cases of bilateral asymmetry among the 53 bilaterally dissected cadavers led to the consideration of each "hemi-head" as a single entity. This increased the sample size. Statistical analysis of the data, systematically broken down by sex and by side, showed that the second part of the maxillary artery is more likely to lie deep to the lower head of the lateral pterygoid muscle in females than in males, and that "side" is irrelevant.