The tympanic canaliculus (also Jacobson's canaliculus, tympanic canal, inferior tympanic canaliculus, or temporal canaliculus) is a minute canal in the bony ridge that separates the

carotid canal The carotid canal is a passage in the petrous part of the temporal bone of the skull through which the internal carotid artery and its internal carotid (nervous) plexus pass from the neck into (the middle cranial fossa of) the cranial cavity. ...

and

jugular foramen A jugular foramen is one of the two (left and right) large foramina (openings) in the base of the skull, located behind the carotid canal. It is formed by the temporal bone and the occipital bone. It allows many structures to pass, including the ...

. The proximal opening of the canal is situated upon the inferior surface of the

petrous part of the temporal bone The petrous part of the temporal bone is pyramid-shaped and is wedged in at the base of the skull between the sphenoid and occipital bones. Directed medially, forward, and a little upward, it presents a base, an apex, three surfaces, and three ...

; its distal opening is situated upon the floor of the

tympanic cavity The tympanic cavity is a small cavity surrounding the bones of the middle ear. Within it sit the ossicles, three small bones that transmit vibrations used in the detection of sound. Structure On its lateral surface, it abuts the external audit ...

. The canal gives passage to the

tympanic nerve The tympanic nerve ( Jacobson's nerve) is a branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve passing through the petrous part of the temporal bone to reach the middle ear. It provides sensory innervation for the middle ear, the Eustachian tube, the parotid ...

(tympanic branch of the

glossopharyngeal nerve The glossopharyngeal nerve (), also known as the ninth cranial nerve, cranial nerve IX, or simply CN IX, is a cranial nerve that exits the brainstem from the sides of the upper Medulla oblongata, medulla, just anterior (closer to the nose) to t ...

) (CN IX)) and

inferior tympanic artery The inferior tympanic artery is a small branch of the ascending pharyngeal artery which passes through the tympanic canaliculus alongside the tympanic branch of glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX) to reach and provide arterial supply to the medial wal ...

References

Foramina of the skull {{musculoskeletal-stub