Foramen ovale
Exit foramen · CN V3
An oval opening in the greater wing of the sphenoid, posterolateral to the foramen rotundum, leading from the middle cranial fossa to the infratemporal fossa. It carries the mandibular division with the lesser petrosal nerve, the accessory meningeal artery and an emissary vein linking the cavernous sinus to the pterygoid plexus (OVALE).
Traced from the start
- Pons
- Trigeminal nerve (CN V)
- Foramen ovale
Detail
- Transmits
- Mandibular nerve (V3), lesser petrosal nerve (IX, to the otic ganglion), accessory meningeal artery, emissary vein
- Leads to
- Infratemporal fossa, where the otic ganglion sits on the medial side of V3 immediately below the foramen
When it goes wrong
Percutaneous treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (radiofrequency rhizotomy, glycerol injection, balloon compression) passing a needle through the foramen ovale to the trigeminal ganglion
Pain relief at the cost of facial numbness in the treated division, and anaesthesia dolorosa or corneal anaesthesia if V1 is included
Infection tracking from the pterygoid plexus to the cavernous sinus through the emissary vein
Cavernous sinus thrombosis after dental or deep facial sepsis
Practise this structure
1 question in the bank tagged Trigeminal Nerve.