A 45-year-old woman presents with loss of gag reflex, hoarseness, and weakness of trapezius and sternocleidomastoid following a glomus jugulare tumour expanding a skull base foramen. Which foramen is involved?

• A Foramen magnum
• B Hypoglossal canal
• C Foramen lacerum
• D Jugular foramen ✓

Explanation

The jugular foramen transmits the glossopharyngeal, vagus, and accessory nerves together with the sigmoid sinus (becoming the internal jugular vein) and the inferior petrosal sinus. A lesion here produces the classical jugular foramen syndrome with palatal paralysis, hoarseness, and shoulder weakness. The hypoglossal canal carries only the twelfth nerve, and the foramen magnum transmits the medulla, vertebral arteries, and spinal accessory rootlets.

Reference: Gray's Anatomy, 42nd ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.