| Purpose. To describe the architecture of the human lateral pterygoid (LP) muscle at the individual fibre bundle level.; Materials and methods. Twenty cadaveric LP muscles were dissected. Individual fibre bundles were dissected and digitized, followed by 3-D visualization and quantification of architecture.; Results. The LP is a fan-shaped, non-pennate muscle with marked architectural variation. The superior head (SH) origin is limited to the superomedial margin of the inferior orbital fissure (infratemporal aspect). Sixty-two percent of SH bundle insertions were into the TMJ disc-capsule-complex. There were a mean of 130 fibre bundles per specimen, and the mean overall length of digitized fibre bundles was 26.4 mm. Specimens with displaced discs (35%) exhibited shorter and more LP bundles, but without statistically different muscle insertion patterns.; Conclusions. The LP shows significant architectural variation. Muscle insertion pattern was not a predictor of disc displacement. SHLP origin is different from that reported in previous literature. |
