Great auricular nerve: anatomy and imaging in a case of perineural tumor spread

We present the imaging and clinical findings of a case of recurrent cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the face in which CT and MR imaging revealed perineural tumor spread along the great auricular nerve. The great auricular nerve is a superficial cutaneous branch of the cervical plexus, providing sensory innervation to the skin of the parotid and periauricular region. Our purpose was to familiarize the reader with the anatomy of this nerve and imaging's potential role in the diagnosis of perineural tumor spread along this seldom seen structure.