The facial skeleton (or vicerocranium) underlies the face and consists of 14 of the 22 skull bones. These bones form the oral and nasal cavities plus inferior portion of the orbit and include the maxillae (x2), vomer, mandible, inferior nasal conchae (x2) as well as the nasal, lacrimal, palatine and zygomatic bones (all x2). Inferiorly, the mandible is the only skull bone not connected to the … Continue reading Facial skeleton
The facial nerve provides branchiomotor innervation to all the muscles (of facial expression) derived from the second pharyngeal arch. It also carries preganglionic parasympathetic fibres for the lacrimal, submandibular, sublingual and nasal mucous glands, and taste fibres from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue. Lastly, it is partially responsible for the general sensation of the skin lining the external auditory meatus. Course A larger motor … Continue reading Facial nerve (CN VII)
The external carotid artery supplies the face, meninges and neck. It branches off the common carotid artery at the level of the thyroid cartilage’s superior border whereupon it exits the carotid sheath (unlike the internal carotid). Travelling superiorly, it gives off the superior thyroid, ascending pharyngeal, lingual, facial (grooves submandibular gland), occipital, posterior auricular, maxillary and superficial temporal arteries (the last two branches dividing in … Continue reading External carotid artery
The largest cranial nerve in man, the trigeminal nerve has 3 major divisions: ophthalmic (CN Va/V1), maxillary (CN Vb/V2) and mandibular (CN Vc/V3). While CN V is primarily mediates tactile and nociceptive/thermal sensation of the face, CN Vc also has motor function in innervating the muscles of mastication. Course The trigeminal nerve leaves the brainstem as a large sensory root, and a small, medial motor … Continue reading Trigeminal nerve (CN V)
Parasympathetic supply to the head and neck stems from four parasympathetic ganglia, which receives fibres from CN III, VII and IX. CN X also has parasympathetic function but is mainly concerned with below the neck. Sympathetic (from the superior cervical ganglion) and sensory fibres also pass through the ganglia (without synapsing). They are therefore involved in autonomic control of the eye, salivary glands and lacrimal … Continue reading Parasympathetic innervation of head & neck
MedMule 