Through which canal do cranial nerves VII and VIII exit the skull?

Through which canal do cranial nerves VII and VIII exit the skull?

• A. Internal acoustic meatus
• B. Foramen ovale
• C. Foramen rotundum
• D. Hypoglossal canal

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is matching the nerves to the opening they pass through in the skull. Cranial nerves VII (facial) and VIII (vestibulocochlear) travel together through the internal acoustic meatus, a narrow canal in the temporal bone that connects the posterior cranial fossa to the inner ear. This canal houses both nerves as they move toward the inner ear structures; the vestibulocochlear nerve continues on to the inner ear, while the facial nerve eventually proceeds along the facial canal and exits the skull later via the stylomastoid foramen to innervate facial muscles. The other openings listed—foramen ovale, foramen rotundum, and the hypoglossal canal—transmit other nerves (mandibular and maxillary branches of the trigeminal nerve, and the hypoglossal nerve, respectively), not cranial nerves VII and VIII.

The main idea here is matching the nerves to the opening they pass through in the skull. Cranial nerves VII (facial) and VIII (vestibulocochlear) travel together through the internal acoustic meatus, a narrow canal in the temporal bone that connects the posterior cranial fossa to the inner ear. This canal houses both nerves as they move toward the inner ear structures; the vestibulocochlear nerve continues on to the inner ear, while the facial nerve eventually proceeds along the facial canal and exits the skull later via the stylomastoid foramen to innervate facial muscles. The other openings listed—foramen ovale, foramen rotundum, and the hypoglossal canal—transmit other nerves (mandibular and maxillary branches of the trigeminal nerve, and the hypoglossal nerve, respectively), not cranial nerves VII and VIII.