Facial nerve course in the temporal bone: Anatomical relationship between the tympanic and mastoid portions for safe ear surgery

摘要

Objective: Avoidance of iatrogenic injury to the facial nerve is crucial during ear surgery. The anatomical relationship between the tympanic portion of the facial canal (FC) and the mastoid portion of the facial nerve was analyzed using multi-slice computed tomography (CT) scans to avoid iatrogenic facial nerve injury.