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Fetal facial nerve course in the ear region revisited

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to re-examine the structures that determine course of the facial nerve (FN) in the fetal ear region.

Materials and methods

We used sagittal or horizontal sections of 28 human fetuses at 7–8, 12–16, and 25–37 weeks.

Results

The FN and the chorda tympani nerve ran almost parallel until 7 weeks. The greater petrosal nerve (GPN) ran vertical to the distal FN course due to the trigeminal nerve ganglion being medial to the geniculate ganglion at 7 weeks. Afterwards, due to the radical growth of the former ganglion, the GPN became an anterior continuation of the FN. The lesser petrosal nerve ran straight, parallel to the FN at 7 weeks, but later, it started to wind along the otic capsule, possibly due to the upward invasion of the tympanic cavity epithelium. Notably, the chorda tympanic nerve origin from the FN, and the crossing between the vagus nerve branch and the FN, was located outside of the temporal bone even at 37 weeks. The second knee of the FN was not evident, in contrast to the acute anterior turn below the chorda tympanic nerve origin. In all examined fetuses, the apex of the cochlea did not face the middle cranial fossa, but the tympanic cavity.

Conclusion

Topographical relation among the FN and related nerves in the ear region seemed not to be established in the fetal age but after birth depending on growth of the cranial fossa.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (JSPS KAKENHI No. 16K08435) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Yanbian University Medical College, Yanji City, Jilin Province, China

    Zhe Wu Jin

  2. Department of Neurology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine and Hospital, Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science, 895, Muwang-ro, Iksan-si, Jeollabuk-do, 54538, Republic of Korea

    Kwang Ho Cho

  3. Department of Anatomy, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, 010-8502, Japan

    Hiroshi Abe

  4. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan

    Yukio Katori

  5. Division of Internal Medicine, Iwamizawa Kojin-kai Hospital, Iwamizawa, 068-0833, Japan

    Gen Murakami

  6. Department of Anatomy and Human Embryology, Institute of Embryology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain

    Jose Francisco Rodríguez-Vázquez

Authors
  1. Zhe Wu Jin
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  2. Kwang Ho Cho
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  3. Hiroshi Abe
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  4. Yukio Katori
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  5. Gen Murakami
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  6. Jose Francisco Rodríguez-Vázquez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kwang Ho Cho.

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The authors have no financial conflicts of interests.

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Jin, Z.W., Cho, K.H., Abe, H. et al. Fetal facial nerve course in the ear region revisited. Surg Radiol Anat 39, 885–895 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-017-1818-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-017-1818-y

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