The mandibular (glenoid) fossa is the concave articular surface on the inferior aspect of the temporal bone that receives the head of the mandibular condyle in the temporomandibular joint. It is bounded anteriorly by the articular eminence and posteriorly by the tympanic plate and the postglenoid tubercle. The fossa is covered by non-vascularised fibrocartilage rather than hyaline cartilage, and contains the articular disc.
The mandibular fossa is the superior component of the TMJ. Its posterior wall (tympanic plate) is very thin, and condylar fractures can penetrate into the fossa and even enter the middle cranial fossa or the external auditory meatus. Total TMJ replacement prostheses have a temporal component that replaces the fossa. Erosion of the fossa in inflammatory arthritis and ankylosis from trauma require total joint replacement or condylar reconstruction.
Severe condylar fracture with intracapsular comminution may drive the condylar head through the thin floor of the mandibular fossa into the middle cranial fossa, producing intracranial haemorrhage; CT confirms intracranial extension requiring neurosurgical consultation and joint reconstruction.
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