Nervous Interconnection Between the Lesser Occipital and Auriculotemporal Nerves.

Abstract

The auriculotemporal nerve is one branch of the mandibular portion of the trigeminal nerve, which itself divides into several branches in the temporal and retromandibular regions. The lesser occipital nerve is a cutaneous branch of the cervical plexus and is sometimes implicated in cases of cervicogenic headaches, occipitoparietal headaches, and occipital neuralgia, in general. Here, we present a case of unilateral neural interconnection between the auriculotemporal and lesser occipital nerves thus illustrating the joining of the cervical plexus and trigeminal nerve. A better understanding of the aforementioned nervous anatomy may be valuable for facial reconstructive and nerve transfer procedures, as well as for a variety of other head and neck disorders, e.g., occipital neuralgia.