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Poutoglidis A, Karamitsou P, Triaridis S, Paraskevas GK, Langas G, Tsiakaras S, Mykoniatis I, Chochliourou E, Lazaridis N. A Rare Case of a Fenestrated Retromandibular Vein Lying Lateral to the Facial Nerve Bifurcation. Cureus 2023; 15:e50973. [PMID: 38259421 PMCID: PMC10800706 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.50973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandros Poutoglidis
- Department of Anatomy and Surgical Anatomy, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Paraskevi Karamitsou
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, 'G. Papanikolaou' General Hospital, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Stefanos Triaridis
- Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, AHEPA University Hospital, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - George K Paraskevas
- Department of Anatomy and Surgical Anatomy, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Georgios Langas
- 1st Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 'G. Gennimatas' General Hospital, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Stavros Tsiakaras
- 1st Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 'G. Gennimatas' General Hospital, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Ioannis Mykoniatis
- 1st Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 'G. Gennimatas' General Hospital, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Elpis Chochliourou
- Department of Anatomy and Surgical Anatomy, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Nikolaos Lazaridis
- Department of Anatomy and Surgical Anatomy, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
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