Topography of the vestibulocochlear nerve

OBJECTIVE: The terms superior vestibular nerve and inferior vestibular nerve have been used in the field of neurosurgery to indicate anatomically the two respective vestibular components of the vestibulocochlear nerve. To reappraise the aptness of this terminology, fascicular patterns and the anatomic relationship of the vestibular and cochlear components were examined. METHODS: Twenty vestibulocochlear nerve specimens were obtained from cadavers. The nerves were excised, with care taken to sustain their spatial relationships, then embedded in paraffin blocks and cross sectioned in 10-microm-thick slices. Serial cross sections were stained and examined with a light microscope. RESULTS: The vestibular component was separated into two parts only at the lateral fundus of the internal auditory canal, lateral to the vestibular ganglion. In the internal auditory canal of all specimens, the vestibular component was represented by numerous fascicles. Around the porus acusticus, the fascicular pattern among the specimens was diverse: 13 of the 20 specimens were still polyfascicular, 4 specimens consisted of two large, distinct fascicles, and, in the remaining 3 specimens, a portion of the vestibular fascicles had fused with the cochlear component. Near the root entry zone, all vestibular fascicles fused and merged with the cochlear nerve to form a single trunk. CONCLUSION: There was no evidence to support the anatomic correctness of specifying the superior and inferior vestibular nerves, except in the lateral fundus of the internal auditory canal.