Functional anatomy of the human lateral pterygoid muscle.

The authors studied the lateral pterygoid muscle of 179 fresh cadavers by both anatomical dissection and magnetic resonance imaging. The aim was to define the general morphology and the architectural organisation of the lateral pterygoid muscle. Dissection plane by plane, anatomical sections in different planes of space and dissections via multiple approaches on harvested blocks allowed the demonstration that the lateral pterygoid shows an architectural arrangement different from that which is usually described but similar to that, from its typically penniform structure of the masseter and the medial pterygoid.

Functional anatomy of the human temporal muscle.

The authors carried out an anatomical and magnetic resonance imaging study on the architecture of the mandibular elevator muscles of 169 cadavers. The aim of the study was to define the organisational architecture of the human masseter, temporal and pterygoid muscles. Layer by layer dissection and anatomical cuts in different spatial planes showed that the temporal muscle has a different architecture to the other mandibular elevator muscles.

Superficial architecture of the jaw-closing muscles of the cat (Felis catus): the temporo-masseteric complex.

The muscle fiber fascicles of the temporo-masseter complex of the cat were minutely dissected. Some heads were embedded in paraffin while others were put into methyl-methacrylate resin and sections were made. The results of this anatomical study demonstrate that this complex consists of the masseter muscle, the temporal muscle and two well individualized transitional fascicles: the maxillomandibularis and zygomato-comandibularis muscles.