The chorda tympani is a branch of the facial nerve that carries taste sensation from the anterior tongue and parasympathetic secretomotor fibres to the submandibular and sublingual glands, travelling across the middle ear drum and through the infratemporal fossa to join the lingual nerve. Its exposure during middle ear surgery (tympanoplasty, mastoidectomy) makes it vulnerable to injury, producing metallic taste disturbance and dry mouth from submandibular gland desecretomotion.
| Origin | Facial nerve (CN VII) within the facial canal |
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Chorda tympani injury during middle ear surgery produces dysgeusia (altered taste, often metallic) and reduced saliva production from the submandibular gland. The lingual nerve receives the chorda tympani fibres and its division during wisdom tooth extraction can co-injure the chorda tympani if the nerve is disrupted proximal to the chorda tympani joining point. Most post-surgical chorda tympani dysgeusia resolves within 6 to 12 months.
Taste disturbance and reduced submandibular salivation from chorda tympani damage during middle ear surgery or wisdom tooth extraction, usually resolving within 6 to 12 months.
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