Surgical anatomy of the cervical segment of the hypoglossal nerve.

The surgical anatomy of the extracranial segment of the hypoglossal nerve (HN) has been sparsely investigated in the literature. This article studies the course and anatomical and topographic relationships of the HN in 23 formalin fixed cadavers bilaterally dissected under a surgical microscope. The descriptive anatomy is presented with relevant clinical and surgical implications. Copyright 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.