title: Great auricular communication with the marginal mandibular nerve - a previously unreported anatomical variant.
abstract: The great auricular nerve that originates from the cervical plexus and supplies sensation to the lower part of the auricle and the skin overlying the angle of the mandible has no motor component. During an elective neck dissection for a squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, we found that the anterior division of the great auricular nerve divided, with a long branch that passed into the submandibular triangle anterior and superficial to the facial vein, and was joined on its deep surface by the marginal mandibular division of the facial nerve. Although anatomical variants of other branches of the cervical plexus have been described, this is, to our knowledge, the first time a communication between the great auricular nerve and a branch of the facial nerve has been reported outside the parotid gland.
authors.affiliation: Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, PO6 3LY, UK. Peter.brennan@porthosp.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Flora
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kemidi
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spratt
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Standring
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery; D002572:Cervical Plexus / Q000473:pathology; D004431:Ear, External / Q000294:innervation*; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008340:Mandibular Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D037981:Neck Dissection; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000098:blood supply / Q000294:innervation*; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000294:innervation; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D014680:Veins / Q000473:pathology