A Rare Case of a Fenestrated Retromandibular Vein Lying Lateral to the Facial Nerve Bifurcation

Facial nerve integrity is the cornerstone of parotid surgery. Although a variety of anatomical landmarks have been employed, facial nerve injury still happens causing devastating functional and cosmetic sequelae. The retromandibular vein is considered one of the most consistent structures lying just...

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Published inCurēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 12; p. e50973
Main Authors Poutoglidis, Alexandros, Karamitsou, Paraskevi, Triaridis, Stefanos, Paraskevas, George K, Langas, Georgios, Tsiakaras, Stavros, Mykoniatis, Ioannis, Chochliourou, Elpis, Lazaridis, Nikolaos
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Cureus Inc 22.12.2023
Cureus
Subjects
Anatomy
Cadavers
Case reports
Dissection
Exocrine glands
Hospitals
Neurological disorders
Otolaryngology
Surgeons
Surgery
Greece
head and neck
anatomy
facial nerve
retromandibular vein
cadaver
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Summary:Facial nerve integrity is the cornerstone of parotid surgery. Although a variety of anatomical landmarks have been employed, facial nerve injury still happens causing devastating functional and cosmetic sequelae. The retromandibular vein is considered one of the most consistent structures lying just deep into the facial nerve. In our cadaveric study, we found a fenestrated retromandibular vein lying superficial to the bifurcation of the facial nerve. This rare anatomical variation would have been a challenge for a hypothetic parotidectomy. Surgeons should be aware of both anterograde and retrograde dissection of the facial nerve and choose the most proper approach to preserve the integrity of the facial nerve.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Case Study-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
content type line 23
ObjectType-Report-1
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.50973