Media hype: musculus sphenomandibularis.

Abstract

The report of an allegedly so far unknown craniomandibular muscle ('the sphenomandibularis') in 1996 by Dunn and co-workers provoked much comment in journals and newspapers. The authors' hypothesized role of the 'm. sphenomandibularis' in temporomandibular disorders and headaches created hopes and expectations. The present article examines whether two detailed descriptions by Ramalho and co-workers [1978, in Portuguese], and by Zenker [1954, 1955, and 1956, in German] deal with the very same muscle. From the comparison of these descriptions it becomes evident that the 'm. sphenomandibularis' is not a new muscle, but corresponds to the 'medial portion' [Zenker], or 'deep portion' [Ramalho et al.] of the temporalis muscle. Further directed search identified descriptions of the muscle in question back into the 19th century.