Variability of the Cervical Branch Depending on the Facial Nerve Branching Pattern and Anthropometric Type of the Head

Abstract

(1) Background: Considering that the specialty literature supplies only general data about the variability of the cervical branch of the facial nerve, this study aimed to determine this branch’s variation and individual peculiarities depending on the nerve branching pattern and anthropometric type of the head. (2) Methods: The study was conducted on 75 hemifaces of adult formalized cadavers. Ahead of anatomical dissection, each head was measured to establish the anthropometric type, according to Franco and colleagues. The branching patterns were then distributed according to the Davis classification. (3) Results: The number of cervical branches (CB) of the facial nerve varied from one to five branches, with the following rate: 1 CB (61.3%), 2 CB (28%), 3 CB (6.7%), 4 CB (2.7%), and 5 CB (1.3%). Seven branching patterns of the facial nerve were revealed: Type I in 18.7%, Type II in 14.7%, Type III in 20%, Type IV in 14.6%, Type V in 5.3%, Type VI in 18.7%, and Type NI in 8% (bizarre types). According to the branching pattern, the mean numbers of the cervical branches were as follows: Type I—1.6 ± 1.02; Type II—1.4 ± 0.50; Type III—1.4 ± 0.50; Type IV—1.4 ± 0.67; Type V—2.0 ± 1.41; Type VI—1.8 ± 1.12; and Type-NI—1.8 ± 0.75; p = 0.599. According to the anthropometric type of the head, the mean number of CB in the mesocephalic type (MCT) was 1.5 ± 0.82, in the dolichocephalic type (DCT), 1.7 ± 0.87, and in the brachycephalic type, (BCT) 1.8 ± 1.04; p = 0.668. (4) Conclusions: The cervical branch of the facial nerve varies depending on the facial nerve branching pattern and the anthropometric type of the head. The highest degree of variation was characteristic of BCT and Type V and the lowest, of MCT and Types II, III, and IV.

Keywords

• cervical branch
• facial nerve
• variation
• connections
• anthropometric type