A patient with a meningioma arising from the dura of the posterior cranial fossa complains of pain felt mainly in the neck and suboccipital region. This pattern of referred pain occurs because the infratentorial dura receives its sensory supply chiefly from which nerves?

• A Ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve
• B Glossopharyngeal nerve via the jugular foramen
• C Greater petrosal nerve
• D Upper cervical spinal nerves and the meningeal branch of the vagus ✓

Explanation

The dura of the posterior cranial fossa is supplied by ascending meningeal branches of the upper cervical nerves, especially C2, and by a recurrent meningeal branch of the vagus nerve. Pain from this region is therefore referred to the neck and suboccipital area. The supratentorial dura and the tentorium cerebelli are supplied largely by the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve, which explains why supratentorial lesions cause frontal headache instead.

Reference: Gray's Anatomy, 42nd ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.