An unusual course and entrapment of the lingual nerve in the infratemporal fossa

The infratemporal fossa is one of the most difficult regions of skull base to access surgically. Th presence of the ossified pterygospinous and pterygoalar ligaments makes it more critical and difficult to access, with an occasional entrapment of structures like the mandibular nerve (MN) and its branches. During a routine dissection of an adult male cadaver, an unusual course of the lingual nerve (LN) was found with an entrapment of the nerve between the ossified pterygospinous ligament and the medial pterygoid muscle. Furthermore, all the three branches of the posterior division of the mandibular nerve communicated with each other by two anastomosing branches. The clinical significance of the present variations has been discussed.