Morphology and variability of the parotid plexus

Abstract

Abstract Background. Modern medicine cannot be imagine without usage of high technology devices that have become an indispensable part of many medical examination methods. Nevertheless, anatomical dissection of human cadavers should not be neglected. Considering the high incidence of the facial nerve impairments, we decided to refresh the knowledge about the extracranial branching of the VIIth cranial nerve applying anatomical dissection on human cadavers. Aim. The purpose of the study was to reveal the morphological specific features of the parotid plexus branching and types of connections among those branches that would definitely be useful in facial surgery. Material and methods. The study was carried out on 55 cadaveric semiheads that previously had been fixed in 10% formalin solution: 39 male and 16 female semiheads; 29 of those samples were left (21 male/8 female) and 26 right side semiheads (18 male/8 female). A unilateral dissection was made on 23 semiheads and 32 semiheads were bilaterally dissected. Some samples were marked out with black paper for better contrast. All the dissected anatomical samples were photographed and the obtained data were statistically processed. Results. The classic division of the facial nerve trunk into two primary branches: the temporofacial and cervicofacial one was detected in 39 cases (70,9%), in 15 cases (27,3 %) a diffuse type of the trunk division was detected and in 1 case there was a double trunk (1,8%). The following secondary divisions of the parotid plexus branches were highlighted: 1TB in 20 cases, 2 TB in 30 cases and 3 TB in 5 cases; 1 ZB in 5 cases, 2 ZB in 44 cases and 3 ZB in 6 cases; 2 BB in 9 cases, 3 BB in 13 cases, 4 BB in 16 cases, 5 BB in 14 cases, 6 BB in 2 cases and 8 BB in 1 case; 1 MMB in 45 cases, 2 MMB in 8 cases and 3 MMB in 2 cases; 1 CB in 42 cases, 2 CB in 10 cases and single cases of 3 CB, 4 CB and 6 CB respectively. Conclusions. One of the main characteristic feature of the parotid plexus branches, both in males and females was the wide range of individual variability.