04-16-2015, 05:18 AM
When looking in a mirror, a patient notices that the left side of his face droops. The patient also reports having to put the telephone receiver right next to his right ear to hear. Upon examination, the patient is found to have a complete hearing loss in the left ear, cannot close the left eye, and has no tear production in the left eye. When fluid is taken into the mouth, it dribbles from the left corner of his mouth. The patient is also unable to wrinkle the left side of his forehead. A lesion in which of the following anatomical locations best explains the patient's presentation?
A. Cavernous sinus
B. Floor of the middle cranial fossa in the trigeminal dural cave
C. Internal auditory meatus
D. Jugular foramen
E. Superior orbital fissure
A. Cavernous sinus
B. Floor of the middle cranial fossa in the trigeminal dural cave
C. Internal auditory meatus
D. Jugular foramen
E. Superior orbital fissure