An Anatomic Study of the Facial Nerve Trunk and Branching Pattern in an African Population

Abstract

There are known racial variations in the branching and furcation pattern and the length of the facial nerve (FN) trunk and hardly any studies from the black African population. Surgeries around the FN predispose it to trauma and warrant a detailed anatomy of its branching pattern. Using a descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 40 FN (20 fresh cadavers) were dissected to record the pattern and length of the FN. The frequency of various patterns of FN using the Davis et al classification was as follows: type I: 10 (25%), type II: 9 (22.5%), type III: 7 (17.5%), type IV: 6 (15%), type V: 2 (5%), and type VI: 6 (15%). The nerve bifurcated in 32(80%) and trifurcated in 8(20%) of the cadavers. There was no statistical difference in the branching patterns ( p = 0.509) and furcation types ( p = 0.414) between the sides and gender. The length of the trunk of the FN measured from the stylomastoid foramen to the bifurcation point was 16.14(−/+ 3.28 mm). The results from this data established a variation in the anatomical branching pattern of the FN in a black Kenyan population.