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Introduction to Head & Neck Anatomy Quiz
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Which cranial nerve exits the skull through the foramen rotundum?
- A Mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve You picked ✕
- B Oculomotor nerve You picked ✕
- C Optic nerve You picked ✕
- D Maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve You picked ✓
- E Ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve You picked ✕
Correct!
Incorrect
The answer is D: Maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve
Explanation
Why D is correct
See The Cranial Nerves at a Glance. Option D is correct because the trigeminal nerve has three divisions, and each leaves the skull by its own opening. The maxillary division (V2) passes through the foramen rotundum, a round opening at the base of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone, which connects the middle cranial fossa to the pterygopalatine fossa (a small space behind the upper jaw). The ophthalmic division (V1) leaves through the superior orbital fissure, a cleft that opens into the orbit, and the mandibular division (V3) leaves through the foramen ovale, which lies behind and to the side of the foramen rotundum. A foramen is simply a hole or opening in a bone through which nerves and vessels pass, and the skull's foramina matter clinically because a lesion at a given foramen produces a predictable pattern of nerve loss. The three divisions are lined up from front to back, V1, V2 and V3, in the same order as their exits: superior orbital fissure, rotundum, ovale. The oculomotor nerve and the optic nerve are different cranial nerves with their own openings, the superior orbital fissure and the optic canal.
- Maxillary division: V2 leaves through the foramen rotundum.
- Ophthalmic division: V1 leaves through the superior orbital fissure.
- Mandibular division: V3 leaves through the foramen ovale.
Why the other options are incorrect
- A. Mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve: The mandibular division (V3) leaves through the foramen ovale, which lies behind the foramen rotundum. It is the third division and it carries motor fibres as well as sensory ones. Your answer
- B. Oculomotor nerve: The oculomotor nerve (CN III) enters the orbit through the superior orbital fissure to supply most of the eye muscles. It does not pass through the foramen rotundum. Your answer
- C. Optic nerve: The optic nerve (CN II) passes through the optic canal into the orbit. It is not a division of the trigeminal nerve and it does not use the foramen rotundum. Your answer
- E. Ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve: The ophthalmic division (V1) leaves the skull through the superior orbital fissure, which opens into the orbit. The foramen rotundum is a different opening, behind and below it. Your answer
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More questions from this set. Start the quiz to answer them and see each explanation.
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1
Which imaging modality generally gives the best soft-tissue contrast for assessing the brain, cranial nerves and other soft tissues of the head and neck?
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2
Which muscle divides each side of the neck into anterior and posterior triangles?
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