Cranial nerves for OMM: exits, lesions and entrapments
Where each nerve leaves the skull
| Nerve | Exit |
|---|---|
| I | Cribriform plate |
| II | Optic canal |
| III, IV, V1, VI | Superior orbital fissure (VI first passes through Dorello's canal) |
| V2 | Foramen rotundum |
| V3 | Foramen ovale |
| VII | Internal acoustic meatus and facial canal; the motor trunk exits the stylomastoid foramen |
| VIII | Internal acoustic meatus |
| IX, X, XI | Jugular foramen (XI's spinal root first climbs in through the foramen magnum) |
| XII | Hypoglossal canal |
The jugular foramen lies between the temporal and occipital bones, at the occipitomastoid suture region. Dorello's canal carries only CN VI under the petrosphenoid ligament; III and IV do not pass beneath it.
The rest of this guide is for founders
Founders get every guide, endless cases with an AI tutor, and Anki export of their misses. Here is what is inside:
- Where each nerve leaves the skull
- Function and lesion clues
- Telling look-alikes apart
- Entrapments OMM questions test
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