Question

A patient was admitted with skull base trauma. The doctor was testing the marked structure. Which of the following nerves was being tested:

• A. Vagus
• B. Facial nerve
• C. Glossopharyngeal nerve
• D. Trigeminal nerve

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The correct answer to the question is the Glossopharyngeal nerve. The following explanation provides detailed reasoning for this choice:

The glossopharyngeal nerve, also known as cranial nerve IX, is pivotal in many functions associated with the pharynx and certain sensory elements in the brain. Specifically, it's involved with the sensation and the autonomic aspects of the throat area.

In cases of skull base trauma, the location being tested often corresponds to areas innervated by the glossopharyngeal nerve because it passes through regions that are susceptible to injury in these traumas. Testing typically focuses on functions like:

• Sensory input related to taste from the posterior one-third of the tongue.
• Swallowing reflexes, as it innervates the muscles that assist in swallowing.
• The sensation from the pharynx, which is critical following trauma evaluation.

Given these responsibilities, any clinical examination targeting this nerve due to trauma at the base of the skull would check for symptoms or dysfunctions related to these activities or sensory domains.

In the context provided with the image (not shown here), the doctor's test likely aimed to evaluate these functional components, thereby confirming the glossopharyngeal nerve as the nerve in question.