The contents of the fissure include communications of cranial nerve VII to the
infratemporal fossa. A branch of cranial nerve VII, the
chorda tympani, runs through the fissure to join with the lingual nerve providing special sensory (taste) innervation to the tongue.
Anterior tympanic artery and
tympanic veins also pass through the structure. Petrotympanic fissure contains some of the fibers of the
anterior ligament of malleus, which run on the base of skull and eventually attach onto the
spine of sphenoid bone. ==See also==