Jugular Foramen Syndrome

The two jugular foramina are openings in the skull base located on either side, anterolateral to the foramen magnum. The main structures which pass through this foramen are the glossopharyngeal (IX), vagus (X), and spinal accessory (XI) nerves and the internal jugular vein (IJV). The foramen is divided into two parts by a fibro-osseous bridge connecting the jugular spine of the temporal bone and jugular process of the occipital bone. The anteromedial compartment (pars nervosa) contains the cranial nerve IX, the tympanic branch of IX (Jacobson's nerve), and the inferior petrosal sinus. The posterolateral component (pars venosa or vascularis) contains the IJV, jugular bulb, cranial nerves X and XI, the auricular branch of vagus (Arnold's nerve), and the posterior meningeal branch of the ascending pharyngeal artery.The jugular foramen syndrome (JFS or Vernet syndrome) refers to paralysis of the IX, X, and XI cranial nerves traversing the jugular foramen. Vernet first described it in the Paris Medical Journal (1917).