Facial canal

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Facial canal
Route of facial nerve, with facial canal labeled
View of the inner wall of the tympanum. (Facial canal visible in upper left.)
Latin	canalis nervi facialis
Dorlands/Elsevier	c_04/12208699

The facial canal is a canal running from the internal acoustic meatus to the stylomastoid foramen, with approximately 3cm total length is the longest osseous canal of a nerve in a man ^[1]. It is located within the middle ear region, and it is divided into three segments: the labyrinthine, the tympanic, and the mastoidal segment. The facial canal is also referred to as the aqueduct of Fallopius and Fallopian Canal in honour of Gabriele Falloppio who first observed it.

[edit] See also

• facial nerve
• prominence of the facial canal
• hiatus of the facial canal

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Facial+canal at eMedicine Dictionary

v • d • e Bones of head and neck: the cranium of the skull Occipital Squama external (Inion/External occipital protuberance, Nuchal lines) - planes (Occipital, Nuchal) - internal (Cruciform eminence, Internal occipital protuberance, Sagittal sulcus, Internal occipital crest) Lateral parts Condyle (Condyloid fossa, Condylar canal) - Hypoglossal canal - jugular (Jugular process, Jugular tubercle) Basilar part Pharyngeal tubercle Other Foramen magnum Parietal Parietal eminence - Temporal line - Parietal foramen Frontal Squama Frontal suture - Frontal eminence - external (Superciliary arches, Glabella) - foramina (Supraorbital, Cecum) - Zygomatic process - internal (Sagittal sulcus, Frontal crest) Orbital part Ethmoidal notch - Lacrimal fossa - Trochlear fovea - Frontal sinus - Frontonasal duct Temporal Squama Articular tubercle - Suprameatal triangle - Mandibular fossa - Petrotympanic fissure - Zygomatic process Mastoid part Mastoid foramen - Mastoid process (Mastoid cells) - Mastoid notch - Occipital groove - Sigmoid sulcus - Mastoid antrum (Entrance) Petrous part Carotid canal - Facial canal (Hiatus) - Internal auditory meatus - Aqueduct of cochlea - Stylomastoid foramen fossae (Subarcuate fossa, Jugular fossa) - canaliculi (Inferior tympanic, Mastoid) - Styloid process - Petrosquamous suture (note: ossicles in petrous part, but not part of temporal bone) Tympanic part Suprameatal spine Sphenoid Surfaces Superior surface: Sella turcica (Dorsum sellae, Tuberculum sellae, Hypophysial fossa, Posterior clinoid processes) - Ethmoidal spine - Chiasmatic groove - Middle clinoid process - Petrosal process - Clivus Lateral surface: Carotid groove - Sphenoidal lingula Anterior surface: Sphenoidal sinuses Great wings foramina (Rotundum, Ovale, Vesalii, Spinosum) - Spine - Infratemporal crest - Sulcus for auditory tube Small wings Superior orbital fissure - Anterior clinoid process - Optic canal Pterygoid processes fossae (Pterygoid, Scaphoid) - pterygoid plates (Lateral, Medial) - Pterygoid canal - Hamulus Other Body - Sphenoidal conchae Ethmoid Plates Cribriform plate (Crista galli, Olfactory foramina) - Perpendicular plate Surfaces Lateral surface Orbital lamina - Uncinate process Medial surface Superior nasal concha - Superior meatus - Middle nasal concha - Middle meatus Labyrinth Ethmoid sinus - ethmoidal foramina (Posterior, Anterior)

v • d • e Foramina of the skull (and canals, fissures, meati, and hiati) Anterior cranial fossa to Orbit: ethmoidal foramina (anterior, posterior) to Nasal cavity: olfactory foramina (CN-I) - foramen cecum Middle cranial fossa to Orbit: optic canal (CN-II) - superior orbital fissure (CN-III,IV,V1,VI) to Pterygopalatine fossa: foramen rotundum (CN-V2) - pterygoid canal to Infratemporal fossa: foramen ovale (CN-V3) - foramen spinosum/carotid canal other: foramen lacerum - hiatus for greater petrosal nerve - hiatus for lesser petrosal nerve - sphenoidal emissary foramen Posterior cranial fossa internal auditory meatus/facial canal/stylomastoid foramen (CN-VII,VIII) - jugular foramen (CN-IX,X,XI) - foramen magnum (CN-XI) - hypoglossal canal (CN-XII) - condylar canal - mastoid foramen Orbit to Nasal cavity: nasolacrimal canal to Face: supraorbital (notch, foramen) - infraorbital (foramen, groove) - zygomatic foramen (-facial, -temporal) to Pterygopalatine fossa: inferior orbital fissure Pterygopalatine fossa to Nasal cavity: sphenopalatine foramen to Oral cavity: greater palatine canal/greater palatine foramen - lesser palatine canals/lesser palatine foramina to Infratemporal fossa: pterygomaxillary fissure to Nasopharynx: palatovaginal canal Nasal cavity to Oral cavity: incisive canals - incisive foramen Other external acoustic meatus - mandibular foramen - mental foramen - parietal foramen - petrotympanic fissure - semilunar hiatus