Inferior tympanic canaliculus
The inferior tympanic canaliculus is a small bony passageway that lies within the petrous portion of the temporal bone, between the carotid canal and jugular foramen.
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Gross anatomy
The inferior tympanic canaliculus is a bony canal that separates the opening of the carotid canal anteromedially from the jugular foramen posterolaterally 1. It is also located medially to the stylomastoid foramen and the styloid process of the temporal bone.
Contents
The inferior tympanic canaliculus contains the inferior tympanic artery (branch of the ascending pharyngeal artery) in addition to the tympanic branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve (Jacobson nerve) as it passes through to the middle ear to form the tympanic plexus and subsequently the lesser petrosal nerve 2. Glomus bodies around the Jacobson nerve are also contained in the inferior tympanic canaliculus 7.
History and etymology
The inferior tympanic canaliculus is also referred to as "Jacobson's canal" and is named after Ludvig Levin Jacobson, a renowned anatomist from Copenhagen who in the early 1800s described the anatomy of the canal 3.
Related pathology
Several abnormalities of the neurovascular contents can smoothly enlarge the inferior tympanic canaliculus:
- aberrant internal carotid artery: collateral pathway involving inferior tympanic artery
- glomus jugulare paraganglioma: inferior tympanic artery may be hypertrophied supplying this hypervascular tumor 5
- Jacobson nerve schwannoma 4
Bony destruction of the inferior tympanic canaliculus can be caused by paraganglioma (glomus tumor) with extension into jugular fossa and tympanic cavity: glomus jugulotympanicum paraganglioma 6.
Related Radiopaedia articles
Anatomy: Head and neck
- skeleton of the head and neck
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cranial vault
- scalp (mnemonic)
- fontanelle
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sutures
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- facial
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- occipitotemporal suture (occipitomastoid suture)
- sphenofrontal suture
- sphenozygomatic suture
- spheno-occipital suture (not a true suture)
- lacrimomaxillary suture
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- internasal suture
- basal/internal
- skull landmarks
- frontal bone
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- parietal bone
- occipital bone
- skull base (foramina)
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facial bones
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cranial vault
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muscles of facial expression
- occipitalis muscle
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- levator labii superioris alaeque nasalis muscle
- levator labii superioris muscle
- zygomaticus major muscle
- zygomaticus minor muscle
- malaris muscle
- levator anguli oris muscle
- risorius muscle
- depressors, retractors and evertors of the lower lip
- depressor labii inferioris muscle
- depressor anguli oris muscle
- mentalis muscle
- compound sphincter
- orbicularis oris muscle
- incisivus superior muscle
- incisivus inferior muscle
- muscle of mastication:
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- muscles of the middle ear
- orbital muscles
- muscles of the soft palate
- pharyngeal muscles
- suprahyoid muscles
- infrahyoid muscles
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deep spaces of the neck
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- visceral space
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common carotid artery
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arterial supply
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cranial nerves
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trigeminal nerve (CN V) (mnemonic)
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- facial nerve (CN VII)
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vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
- vestibular ganglion (Scarpa's ganglion)
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
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vagus nerve (CN X)
- superior laryngeal nerve
- recurrent laryngeal nerve (inferior laryngeal nerve)
- (spinal) accessory nerve (CN XI)
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
- parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck
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- third occipital nerve
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cervical plexus
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ansa cervicalis
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- cutaneous branches
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- brachial plexus
- pharyngeal plexus
-
cranial nerves
- lymphatic drainage of the head and neck
- embryological development of the head and neck
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