Anatomy & Histology · patient case question
Through which opening does this nerve exit the skull?
Patient case: Sudden one-sided facial weakness
Patient: Female, 41 years old
Chief Complaint: “The right side of my face dropped overnight.”
Background: Woke with the weakness. No limb weakness, no speech difficulty, no headache. Recent upper respiratory infection.
Vital Signs: BP 122/78 mmHg · HR 74 bpm · T 98.6°F
Findings: Cannot raise the right eyebrow, cannot close the right eye completely, and the right nasolabial fold is flattened. Sensation of the face is intact. Forehead involvement is present.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Stylomastoid foramen
- A. The jugular foramen transmits cranial nerves IX, X and XI along with the internal jugular vein.
- B. The internal acoustic meatus is where CN VII and CN VIII ENTER the petrous temporal bone. The question asks where the nerve exits the skull, which is the stylomastoid foramen.
- C. CORRECT. The facial nerve leaves the cranial cavity through the internal acoustic meatus, travels through the facial canal within the petrous temporal bone — giving off the greater petrosal nerve, the nerve to stapedius and the chorda tympani along the way — and finally EXITS THE SKULL at the STYLOMASTOID FORAMEN, between the styloid and mastoid processes. It then enters the parotid gland and divides into its five terminal branches.
- D. The foramen ovale transmits V3, the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve.
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