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Facial Nerve

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Comprehensive and Clinical Anatomy of the Middle Ear

Abstract

The facial nerve, or cranial nerve (CN VII), is the nerve of facial expression. Due to various developmental events, the trajectory of the facial nerve, from its origin in the brainstem to the muscles of the face, is tortuous and complex. The ingenious pathway of the facial nerve through the middle ear and mastoid adds to the complexity and refinement of middle ear microsurgery. Thus, a thorough knowledge of the facial nerve anatomy along with its multiple landmarks is essential for an accurate, safe, and effective surgical intervention in the middle ear.

A basic understanding of the developmental anatomy is necessary to understand and anticipate the various anatomical situations encountered during ear surgery.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital Sacre Coeur ORL Chirurgie Cervico - Faciale, Lebanese University, Baabda, Lebanon

    Salah Mansour MD, FRCSC

  2. ORL Chirurgie Cervico - Faciale, Hôpital Trad, Beirut, Lebanon

    Salah Mansour MD, FRCSC

  3. ORL - Chirurgie Cervico - Faciale, University Aix-Marseille Hôpital Nord, Marseille, France

    Jacques Magnan MD, PhD

  4. ORL - Chirurgie Cervico - Faciale, Hôpital Nord, Marseille, France

    Hassan Haidar MD, ABORL

  5. Department of Radiology Middle East Institute of Health, Bsalim Levant Clinics, Fachaerztin fuer Radiologische Diagnostik Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon

    Karen Nicolas MD

  6. Department of Radiology, Levant Clinics, Sinn el Fil, Lebanon

    Karen Nicolas MD

  7. Laboratoire d` Anatomie Biomécanique et Organogenèse, Université Libre de Bruxelles Faculté de Médecine, Brussels, Belgium

    Stéphane Louryan MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Salah Mansour MD, FRCSC
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  2. Jacques Magnan MD, PhD
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  3. Hassan Haidar MD, ABORL
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  4. Karen Nicolas MD
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  5. Stéphane Louryan MD, PhD
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Mansour, S., Magnan, J., Haidar, H., Nicolas, K., Louryan, S. (2013). Facial Nerve. In: Comprehensive and Clinical Anatomy of the Middle Ear. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36967-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36967-4_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-36966-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-36967-4

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