8. Cranial Nerves Continued Flashcards
What is CNVII and where does it originate from?
Facial nerve, lateral lower pons (pontomedullary junction)
What is the path of CNVII?
Lower pons → Enters petrous bone via Internal auditory Meatus → 3 branches within petrous bone → Exits via sylomastoid foramen
What type of fibres are in CNVII?
Special sensory, Motor, parasympathetic
What autonomic fibres are in CNVII and what do they innervate?
Parasympathetic: Lacrimal glands, nasal glands, Salivary glands (except parotid)
What is the special sensory function of CNVII?
Anterior 2/3 of tongue (taste)
What is the motor function of CNVII?
Muscles of facial expression, Stapedius (in middle ear)
Where does the facial nerve first branch and what is the name of the branch?
At the geniculate ganglion in the petrous bone
- first of the three intrapetrous branches = greater petrosal nerve
What is the route of the greater petrosal nerve and where does it branch?
Leaves petrous bone and branches at pterygopalatine fossa to lacrimal, nasal and oral/palatal mucosal glands
What is the 2nd branch of the facial nerve?
nerve to stapedius - branches in middle ear cavity
What type of fibres are in the greater petrosal nerve?
purely parasympathetic
what type of fibres are in nerve to stapedius?
purely motor
If a lesion affects the nerve to stapedius how may it present?
hyperacoustic
what is the third branch of the facial nerve in the petrous bone
chorda tympani
What fibres are in the chorda tympani nerve and what are their functions?
Parasympathetic: Salivary glands
Special sensory: Anterior 2/3rd tongue
describe the route of the facial nerve after it passes through the stylomastoid foramen?
now only contain motor fibres
- route through parotid gland and gives of five terminal extra cranial branches
what are the 5 extra cranial branches of facial nerve?
To Zanzibar By Motor Car
temporal zygomatic buccal marginal mandibular cervical
How is CNVII tested?
Mainly by testing muscles of facial expression (and the corneal reflex orbicularis oculi to close the eye)
Why can symptoms of CNVII lesion vary?
Depends on where along the nerve route the pathology is
how do facial nerve lesions present?
Unilateral facial droop +/- reporting symptoms due to absence of other facial nerve functions:
Hyperacusis (noise sensitivity), dry eyes, altered taste, dry mouth
Why can middle ear and parotid pathology affect CNVII?
Occurs in petrous bone which facial nerve passes through. Passes through parotid gland.
what are some causes of facial nerve lesions?
- Lesions in/around internal acoustic meatus & posterior cranial fossa tumours - point of vulnerability
- Basal skull fracture (involving petrous bone)
- Middle ear disease
- Inflammation in facial canal…facial nerve palsy e.g. Bell’s Palsy, Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome
- Parotid disease
What is Bell’s Palsy?
facial nerve paralysis
what is Ramsay-Hunt syndrome?
Varicella zoster infecting facial nerve - shingles
what are distinguishing features of Ramsay hunt syndrome
unilateral facial droop
vesicles or rash within external ear
what is key when determining whether facial droop is due to stroke or facial nerve lesion?
forehead sparing - stroke
- Involving motor pathways anywhere along path from primary motor cortex to where synapse with facial nerve motor nuclei
Upper half of contralateral face spared (has back-up) - Involving facial nerve anywhere from from exit from brain stem And along its route to target tissue
Whole half ipsilateral face
explain how to identify if forehead spared?
if forehead affected - no furrows, cannot raise eyebrows
if forehead spared - furrows remain and able to raise eyebrows
why is the forehead spared in stroke but not facial nerve lesion?
facial nerve nuclei split into top and bottom half and top half has both contralateral and back up ipsilateral innervation from PMC so if contralateral affected in a stroke then it has a back up supply so forehead spared. lower half has only contralateral supply so leads to contralateral facial droop of lower half
if the facial nerve is affected after it has left brainstem, all motor elements it supplies will be affected on the ipsilateral side
What is CNVIII and where does it originate from?
Vestibulocochlear, from the lateral lower pons (pontomedullary junction)