A bifid intra-tympanic facial nerve in association with a normal stapes.

Abstract

A rare facial nerve anomaly was incidentally discovered whilst performing a tympanoplasty and ossicular reconstruction on a patient with an acquired unilateral conductive hearing loss. The nerve was seen to bifurcate and straddle a normal stapes superstructure as it ran posteriorly through the middle ear, a unique and as yet unreported combination. This case highlights the importance of vigilance regarding facial nerve anatomical variations encountered during middle-ear surgery thus avoiding inadvertent damage. The purported embryological mechanism responsible for such anomalies of the intra-tympanic facial nerve is discussed.

• Authors: J Ahmed, P Chatrath, J Harcourt
• Journal: The Journal of laryngology and otology (J Laryngol Otol) Vol. 120 Issue 5 Pg. 414-5 (May 2006) ISSN: 0022-2151 [Print] England
• PMID: 16696883 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Topics

• Facial Nerve (abnormalities)
• Hearing Loss (pathology, surgery)
• Humans
• Middle Aged
• Stapes (anatomy & histology)
• Tympanic Membrane (pathology)
• Tympanoplasty