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Stylomastoid foramen

Foramen in the temporal bone of the skull

Summary

Foramen in the temporal bone of the skull

Field	Value
Name	Stylomastoid foramen
Latin	foramen stylomastoideum
Image	Stylomastoid foramen.png
Caption	Base of skull. Inferior surface. Pink region is temporal bone, and stylomastoid foramen is in black circle at center of pink region.
Image2	Gray141.png
Caption2	Left temporal bone. Inferior surface. (Stylomastoid foramen is third label from the bottom on the left.)
PartOf	Temporal bone of skull	System=Skeletal

The stylomastoid foramen is a foramen between the styloid and mastoid processes of the temporal bone of the skull. It is the termination of the facial canal, and transmits the facial nerve, and stylomastoid artery. Facial nerve inflammation in the stylomastoid foramen may cause Bell's palsy.

Structure

The stylomastoid foramen is between the styloid and mastoid processes of the temporal bone. The average distance between the opening of the stylomastoid foramen and the styloid process is around 0.7 mm or 0.8 mm in adults, but may decrease to around 0.2 mm during aging.

The stylomastoid foramen transmits the facial nerve, and the stylomastoid artery. These 2 structures lie directly next to each other.

Clinical significance

Bell's palsy can result from inflammation of the facial nerve where it leaves the skull at the stylomastoid foramen. Patients with Bell's palsy appear with facial drooping on the affected side.

Additional images

File:Facial canal.png|Facial canal File:Slide1CAC.JPG|Lateral head anatomy detail. Facial nerve dissection.

References

(2008-12-17). "Postnatal changes in the styloid process, vagina processus styloidei, and stylomastoid foramen in relation to the function of muscles originating from the styloid process". [[Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy]].
(October 1983). "The facial nerve between the stylomastoid foramen and the parotid: computed tomographic imaging.". [[Radiology (journal).
(2000-09-01). "Facial Nerve: Vascular-Related Anatomy at the Stylomastoid Foramen". Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

foramina-of-the-skull otorhinolaryngology facial-nerve

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