The sharply angled boundary between the lateral and inferior surfaces of the greater wing is the infratemporal crest (Fig. 8.136). Two apertures (the foramen ovale and the foramen spinosum) pass through the base of the greater wing and allow the mandibular nerve [V3] and the middle meningeal artery, respectively, to pass between the middle cranial fossa and infratemporal fossa. In addition, one or more small sphenoidal emissary foramina penetrate the base of the greater wing anteromedial to the foramen ovale and allow emissary veins to pass between the pterygoid plexus of veins in the infratemporal fossa and the cavernous sinus in the middle cranial fossa.