Facial nerve, terminal branches
Rami temporales, zygomatici, buccales, marginalis mandibulae et colli
NervousNervesHeadLeft and right
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- What it is
- Inside the parotid gland the facial nerve fans out like a goose's foot (pes anserinus) into five branches - temporal, zygomatic, buccal, marginal mandibular and cervical - that spread across the face just under the skin.
- Function
- Temporal: frontalis and eye closure; zygomatic: eye closure; buccal: cheek and upper lip; marginal mandibular: lower lip and chin; cervical: platysma.
- Size
- Branches 0.5-1.5 mm thick, 4-8 cm long
- Clinical note
- Surgeons removing the parotid dissect out this fan; a cut below the jaw can catch the marginal mandibular branch and leave a permanently lopsided smile.