Surgical procedure for exposure of the chorda tympani in dogs: a ventral approach

An experimental neuroanatomic investigation of the innervation of the dog's tongue by the method of retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase required that chorda tympani neurectomy be performed in neonatal pups. Surgical exposure and transection of the chorda tympani proximal to its union with the lingual branch of the mandibular nerve in the past has been accomplished by radical lateral approach which is suited only for acute experimentation. This report describes a ventral surgical exposure of the extracranial portion of the chorda tympani in the dog. This surgical procedure permits long-term survival and is considered especially useful for the chronic neuroanatomic and neurophysiologic investigations on the role of the chorda tympany in taste, salivation and lingual vasodilation in the dog.