VARIABILITY OF RAMIFICATION AND CONNECTIONS OF THE CERVICAL BRANCH OF THE FACIAL NERVE

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Background. Superficial location of the cervical branch (CB) of the facial nerve makes it vulnerable to injures in surgery of the neck and might result in weakening of the platysma muscle with lip motion impairment and asymmetric smile. Aim. The purpose of our study was to establish ramification and connections of the CB of the facial nerve. Material and Methods. Thirty-two adult cadaveric semiheads 18 right and 12 left ones, fixed in formaldehyde solution were dissected at the Chair of Human anatomy of Nicolae Testemitanu SUMPh and variations of ramification and connections of the CB of the facial nerve were marked out. Results and Discussion. Both sides of the head have been dissected on the 20 of those samples. Similar ramifications of the CB on both sides in the same individual were marked out, only in 3 cases. In 5 cases CB was double and in one case multiple. In 4 cases - there were double connections with the transverse cervical nerve. In 8 cases there were connections with the greater auricular nerve and 2 of those connections were double. In 19 cases there was a single connection with the ramus marginalis mandibulae, in one case - double connections, and in 12 cases there were no connections between those branches. Conclusions. The CB of the facial nerve is variable both in number of ramifications and ways of connections.