Maxillary Nerve as, Inferior View

Description

Arising from the trigeminal ganglion, the maxillary nerve (CN V2) courses anteroinferiorly along the lateral wall of the cavernous sinus and exits the middle cranial fossa through the foramen rotundum. From an inferior (basal) perspective, V2 sits anterior to the pons and superior to the petrous temporal region, with the trigeminal root and adjacent cranial nerves emerging from the brainstem clustered posteromedially. Gyri and sulci of the inferior cerebrum frame the field, while the optic chiasm lies anterior and midline above the interpeduncular region. Small, round, easy to miss. This angle matters because it puts the foramen rotundum in context with the skull base corridors used to reach the pterygopalatine fossa and proximal V2. Perineural tumor spread (for example, from sinonasal malignancy or cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma) can track retrograde along V2 toward the trigeminal ganglion, and this basal relationship helps explain why patients present with cheek numbness, palatal paresthesia, or loss of corneal reflex integration when multiple trigeminal divisions become involved. It also supports teaching trigeminal neuralgia patterns that spare V1 or V3 when the lesion sits distal to the ganglion, at or beyond the foramen rotundum. Use this illustration in head and neck anatomy blocks, neuroanatomy practicals, and radiology teaching files when correlating CN V2 with skull base CT landmarks and MRI assessment of perineural spread. It also fits operative atlases discussing endoscopic transpterygoid approaches and percutaneous interventions where locating V2 relative to the foramen rotundum is the point. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.