| Posterior Auricular Nerve | |
|---|---|
 Plan of the facial and intermediate nerves and their communication with other nerves. (Post. auricular br. labeled at bottom left.) | |
 The nerves of the scalp, face, and side of neck. (Post. auricular visible near center, behind ear.) | |
| Details | |
| From | Facial nerve |
| Innervates | Posterior auricular muscle,occipitalis muscle (posterior part ofoccipitofrontalis) |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | n. auricularis posterior |
| TA98 | A14.2.01.102 |
| TA2 | 6295 |
| FMA | 53278 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
Theposterior auricular nerve is anerve of thehead. It is a branch of thefacial nerve (CN VII). It communicates with branches from thevagus nerve, thegreat auricular nerve, and thelesser occipital nerve. Its auricular branch supplies theposterior auricular muscle, the intrinsic muscles of theauricle, and gives sensation to the auricle. Its occipital branch supplies theoccipitalis muscle.
The posterior auricular nerve arises from thefacial nerve (CN VII).[1] It is the first branch outside of theskull.[2] This origin is close to thestylomastoid foramen. It runs upward in front of themastoid process. It is joined by a branch from theauricular branch of thevagus nerve (CN X). It communicates with the posterior branch of thegreat auricular nerve, as well as with thelesser occipital nerve.
As it ascends between theexternal acoustic meatus and mastoid process it divides into auricular and occipital branches.
The posterior auricular nerve supplies theposterior auricular muscle, and the intrinsic muscles of theauricle.[1] It gives sensation to the auricle.[1] It also supplies theoccipitalis muscle.[1]
The posterior auricular nerve can be tested by contraction of theoccipitalis muscle, and by sensation in theauricle.[1] This testing is rarely performed.[1]
The posterior auricular nerve can be biopsied.[3] This can be used to test forleprosy, which can be important in diagnosis.[3]
This article incorporates text in thepublic domain frompage 905 of the 20th edition ofGray's Anatomy(1918)
