Skull base and cranial nerves radiologic anatomy part 2: Cranial nerves

Abstract

The skull base anatomy is complex. Many vital neurovascular structures course through the skull base canals and foramina. With the advancement of CT and MRI, the localization of lesions has become more precise as their relationship with adjacent neurovascular structures. There is a known course of the cranial nerves as well as their skull base exiting foramina to the head and neck. CT and MRI are complimentary modalities and are often used together to map the full extent of disease. The second article in this review focus on the radiologic study of the cranial nerves.