The foramen singulare (also known as singular foramen or singular canal), is a foramen in the wall of the

internal auditory meatus The internal auditory meatus (also meatus acusticus internus, internal acoustic meatus, internal auditory canal, or internal acoustic canal) is a canal within the petrous part of the temporal bone of the skull between the posterior cranial fossa ...

that gives passage to the branch of the inferior division of the

vestibular nerve The vestibular nerve is one of the two branches of the vestibulocochlear nerve (the cochlear nerve being the other). In humans the vestibular nerve transmits sensory information from vestibular hair cells located in the two otolith organs (the u ...

that innervates the ampulla of the

posterior semicircular canal The semicircular canals are three semicircular interconnected tubes located in the innermost part of each ear, the inner ear. The three canals are the lateral, anterior and posterior semicircular canals. They are the part of the bony labyrinth, ...

Anatomy

The foramen singulare arises from the posteroinferior part of the fundus of the internal auditory canal. At its origin, it is medial to the inferior vertibular area. The canal has a total length of about 4mm and ends at the ampulla of the posterior semicircular canal

Clinical significance

It is an important surgical landmark during a retrosigmoid approach to the internal auditory canal. The foramen singulare houses the singular nerve which is also called the posterior ampullary nerve and is a branch of the inferior vestibular nerve. This nerve carries afferent information from the posterior semicircular canal

References

Human anatomy {{musculoskeletal-stub