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Iwanaga J, Bobek SL, Fisahn C, et al. An unusual finding of the auriculotemporal nerve: possible risk factor during preauricular skin incisions. Gland Surg. 2016;5(6):647-649doi: 10.21037/gs.2016.09.02.
Iwanaga, J., Bobek, S. L., Fisahn, C., Nakamura, K., Miyazono, Y., & Tubbs, R. S. (2016). An unusual finding of the auriculotemporal nerve: possible risk factor during preauricular skin incisions. Gland surgery, 5(6), 647-649. https://doi.org/10.21037/gs.2016.09.02
Iwanaga, Joe, et al. "An unusual finding of the auriculotemporal nerve: possible risk factor during preauricular skin incisions." Gland surgery vol. 5,6 (2016): 647-649. doi: https://doi.org/10.21037/gs.2016.09.02
Iwanaga J, Bobek SL, Fisahn C, Nakamura K, Miyazono Y, Tubbs RS. An unusual finding of the auriculotemporal nerve: possible risk factor during preauricular skin incisions. Gland Surg. 2016 Dec;5(6):647-649. doi: 10.21037/gs.2016.09.02. PMID: 28149814; PMCID: PMC5233839.
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Gland Surg. 2016 Dec;5(6):647-649. doi: 10.21037/gs.2016.09.02.

An unusual finding of the auriculotemporal nerve: possible risk factor during preauricular skin incisions.

Gland surgery

Joe Iwanaga, Samuel L Bobek, Christian Fisahn, Ken Nakamura, Yoshihiro Miyazono, R Shane Tubbs

Affiliations

  1. Seattle Science Foundation, Seattle, WA 98122, USA;; Department of Anatomy, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka 830-0011, Japan;; Dental and Oral Medical Center, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka 830-0011, Japan.
  2. Swedish Maxillofacial Surgery, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA 98122, USA.
  3. Seattle Science Foundation, Seattle, WA 98122, USA;; Swedish Neuroscience Institute, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA 98122, USA.
  4. Dental and Oral Medical Center, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka 830-0011, Japan.
  5. Seattle Science Foundation, Seattle, WA 98122, USA.

PMID: 28149814 PMCID: PMC5233839 DOI: 10.21037/gs.2016.09.02

Abstract

The auriculotemporal nerve (ATN) is a branch of the mandibular nerve and has been implicated for some migraines and its role in Frey's syndrome is well known. An adult cadaver was found to have a duplicated ATN. The anterior trunk ascended as the superficial temporal artery and gave off the branches to the temporomandibular joint, parotid gland, external acoustic meatus and temporal region and communicated with a posterior trunk of the ATN. The posterior trunk ascended via the subcutaneous tissues 1 mm anterior to the auricle and gave off the branches to the anterior auricular region, temporal region and communicated with the anterior trunk. Such a duplicated ATN might be injured with preauricular skin incisions. Knowledge of such an anatomical variation might assist surgeons in iatrogenic injury of the ATN.

Keywords: Auriculotemporal nerve (ATN); Frey’s syndrome; infratemporal fossa; mandibular nerve

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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