Hypoglossal canal
hole in the occipital bone of the skull
The hypoglossal canal is a foramen in the occipital bone of the skull. It is hidden medially and superiorly to each occipital condyle. It transmits the hypoglossal nerve.
Structure
The hypoglossal canal lies in the epiphyseal junction between the basiocciput and the jugular process of the occipital bone.
Variation
Embryonic variants sometimes lead to the presence of more than two canals as the occipital bone is formed.
Development
The hypoglossal canal is formed during the embryological stage of development in mammals.
Function
The hypoglossal canal transmits the hypoglossal nerve from its point of entry near the medulla oblongata to its exit from the base of the skull near the jugular foramen.
Clinical significance
Study of the hypoglossal canal aids in the diagnosis of a variety of tumors found at the base of the skull. Benign tumors involving the hypoglossal nerve and canal include large glomus jugulare neoplasms. Malignant tumors revolving around the hypoglossal canal can include metastases, myeloma, neural tumors such as neuroma and schwannoma; meningioma can also occur occasionally.
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This entry incorporates text from “Hypoglossal canal” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.