Introduction:

There is a conceptual gap associated with the sites where the roots of the glossopharyngeal, vagus and accessory nerves emerge, which is information of utmost importance for neurosurgeons.

Objective:

To determine the exact site where the roots of the glossopharyngeal, vagus and accessory nerves emerge, considering the medulla oblongata as their apparent place of origin.

Materials and methods:

67 human brainstems that had previously been fixed in 10% formalin solution were examined. After removing the meninges, the precise site where the roots of these nerves emerged was analyzed by direct inspection and the results recorded and compared to the literature.

Results:

In 100% of the brainstems studied, it was found that the nerve roots emerge between 2mm and 3mm behind the retro-olivary groove, which differs from the reports of the consulted literature.

Conclusion:

There are different opinions about the apparent origin of the glossopharyngeal, vagus and accessory nerves. This requires a deeper study that allows reaching a general consensus on the precise place where the roots of these nerves originate.

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