[The anatomic variants of the lingual nerve in human (author's transl)]

The authors studied the lingual nerve in 24 human heads through medial discovering after cutting the heads in the mediosagittal plan. In the 48 heads halved, plexiform roots of the lingual nerve were observed in 8.3%, while in 4.1% the origin of the nerve was formed by 2 roots. In 25%, between the lingual and inferior alveolar nerves connection bridges were found, represented either by only one nervous branch or 2-3 branches. The inferior and of the connection branches presents a similar structure to that of the vegetative ganglion. In 12.5% there were displayed 2 nervous branches destined to the lateral and medial pterygoid muscle and palatoglossal muscle. In 33.3%, one of the terminal branches of the mylohyoid nerve after perforating the homonymous muscle, anastomoses with the lingual nerve in the lateral sulcus of the tongue (Sulcus lateralis linguae) achieving, in the author's opinion, the "mylohyoid or sublingual curl". Considering these facts, in the author's opinion, the mylohyoid nerve is a mixed nerve which transmits, trough the anastomotic branch, the sensitive and postganglionar vegetative fibres to the lingual nerve.