title: An unusual course and entrapment of the lingual nerve in the infratemporal fossa.
abstract: The infratemporal fossa is one of the most difficult regions of skull base to access surgically. The presence of the ossified pterygospinous and pterygoalar ligaments makes it more critical and difficult to access, with an occasional entrapment of structures like the mandibular nerve (MN) and its branches. During a routine dissection of an adult male cadaver, an unusual course of the lingual nerve (LN) was found with an entrapment of the nerve between the ossified pterygospinous ligament and the medial pterygoid muscle. Furthermore, all the three branches of the posterior division of the mandibular nerve communicated with each other by two anastomosing branches. The clinical significance of the present variations has been discussed (Fig. 1, Ref. 23).
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Centre for Basic Sciences, Kasturba Medical College, Bejai, Mangalore, Karnataka, India. ranjanbhatana@gmail.com
authors.forename: Soubhagya R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Nayak
authors.forename: Rajalakshmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rai
authors.forename: Ashwin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krishnamurthy
authors.forename: Latha V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Prabhu
authors.forename: Anu V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Ranade
authors.forename: Dil Islam
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Mansur
authors.forename: Savinaya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D035301:Cranial Fossa, Middle; D006801:Humans; D008036:Lingual Nerve / Q000002:abnormalities*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged