Where does the mandibular division (V3) exit to enter the intratemporal fossa?

Where does the mandibular division (V3) exit to enter the intratemporal fossa?

• A. Superior orbital fissure
• B. Foramen rotundum
• C. Foramen ovale
• D. External auditory meatus

Answer: (C)

The mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve exits the skull through a single opening: the foramen ovale in the greater wing of the sphenoid. This foramen provides the passage from the cranial cavity into the infratemporal (intratemporal) fossa, where V3 then runs to give motor fibers to muscles of mastication and sensory fibers to lower facial regions. In contrast, only the upper division (V1) passes through the superior orbital fissure, the middle division (V2) passes through the foramen rotundum, and the external auditory meatus is an ear canal, not a nerve exit for any trigeminal division.

The mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve exits the skull through a single opening: the foramen ovale in the greater wing of the sphenoid. This foramen provides the passage from the cranial cavity into the infratemporal (intratemporal) fossa, where V3 then runs to give motor fibers to muscles of mastication and sensory fibers to lower facial regions.

In contrast, only the upper division (V1) passes through the superior orbital fissure, the middle division (V2) passes through the foramen rotundum, and the external auditory meatus is an ear canal, not a nerve exit for any trigeminal division.