The hiatus for the greater petrosal nerve is a small hole in the
petrous part of the temporal bone
The petrous part of the temporal bone is pyramid-shaped and is wedged in at the base of the skull between the sphenoid and occipital bones. Directed medially, forward, and a little upward, it presents a base, an apex, three surfaces, and three an ...
which connects the
facial canal
The facial canal (''canalis nervi facialis''), also known as the Fallopian canal, is a Z-shaped canal running through the temporal bone of the skull. It runs from the internal acoustic meatus to the stylomastoid foramen. It contains the facial ...
to the
middle cranial fossa
The middle cranial fossa, deeper than the anterior cranial fossa, is narrow medially and widens laterally to the sides of the skull. It is separated from the posterior fossa by the clivus and the petrous crest.
It is bounded in front by the pos ...
. The
greater petrosal nerve travels through it to branch from the
facial nerve
The facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve, cranial nerve VII, or simply CN VII, is a cranial nerve that emerges from the pons of the brainstem, controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of taste ...
and reach the middle cranial fossa on its way to the
pterygopalatine ganglion
The pterygopalatine ganglion (aka Meckel's ganglion, nasal ganglion, or sphenopalatine ganglion) is a parasympathetic ganglion found in the pterygopalatine fossa. It is largely innervated by the greater petrosal nerve (a branch of the facial ner ...
.
Foramina of the skull
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