IMAGING THE TEMPORAL FOSSA

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to delineate the interconnecti ons in the temporal fossa that an visible on high-resolution clinical images. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Thin-section MR images and CT scans of t he temporal fossa in two normal volunteers were obtained in coronal an d axial sections. MR images, CT scans, or both of 20 patients with dem onstrable spread of disease were reviewed. RESULTS. The imaging studie s of patients with disease proved more informative than images of the normal subject or the published anatomic and surgical descriptions of the temporal fossa, We recognized five discrete radiographically defin ed regions. the connective tissue layer, compartment of the superficia l fat pad, compartment of the deep fat pad, compartment of the tempora l muscle (superior recess of the suprazygomatic masticator), and subpe riosteal zone. Important, tortuous, and to our knowledge undescribed i nterconnections between the scalp, posterior neck, eyelid, face, and t he suprazygomatic masticator were delineated. CONCLUSION. Imaging stud ies of the temporal fossa can be used to formulate a clinically useful approach that simplifies the complex anatomy of the temporal fossa.