The document discusses the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII) and its branches. It notes that the facial nerve arises from the brainstem between the pons and medulla and controls facial expression muscles. It then lists and describes 10 collateral branches that branch off of the facial nerve, including the posterior auricular nerve, internal auricular nerve, and cervical branch.

1. Waqas Nawaz
11-Arid-975

2. The facial nerve is the seventh (VII) of twelve
paired cranial nerves.
It arises from the brainstem between the pons
and the medulla, and controls the muscles of
facial expression.

3.  Emerging from beneath the parotid gland
upon the masseter muscle, it receives the
ventral branch of the superficial temporal
nerve, and divides into dorsal and ventral
buccal branches.

5.  The following collateral branches are given
off, the first five being detached within the
facial canal, and the others between the
stylo-mastoid foramen and the border of the
jaw.
 1.The great superficial petrosal nerve (N.
petrosus superficialis major) arises from the
geniculate ganglion.

7.  2. A delicate branch arises from the
geniculate ganglion and unites with a
filament issuing from the tympanic plexus to
form the small superficial petrosal nerve.
 3.The stapedial nerve (N. stapedius) which
innervates the stapedius muscle.

8.  4.The chorda tympani is a small nerve which
arises a little below the previous and pursues
a regular(persistent) course in a small canal in
the mastoid part of the temporal bone
(Canaliculus chordae tympani), to reach the
tympanic cavity.
 5. Anastomotic filaments unite with the
auricular branch of the vagus near the
stylomastoid foramen.

10.  6. The posterior auricular nerve (N. auricularis
aboralis) arises from the facial at its
emergence from the facial canal.

11.  7.The internal auricular nerve (N. auricularis
internus) springs from the facial close to or in
common with the posterior auricular nerve.

12.  8. The digastric branch (R. digastricus) arises
from the facial below the auricular nerves and
descends under cover of the parotid gland.
 9. The auriculo-palpebral nerve
(N.auriculopalpebralis) arises from the upper
edge of the facial near the posterior border of
the ramus.

13.  10. The cervical branch (R. colli) is small; it
arises from the ventral border of the facial
opposite to the preceding(previous) nerve.

14.  The facial nerve usually terminates after a
short course on the surface of the masseter
by dividing into two buccal branches.
 The dorsal buccal nerve (N. buccalis dorsalis)
 Ventral buccal nerve (N. buccalis ventralis