Table 1.
Study characteristics
| Study | Cadaveric/clinical | Patients (m/f) | Number of dissections (uni-/bi-lateral) | Investigated | Landmarks used | Number of DTN branches (mean (range)) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali A 2012 | Cadaveric | 11 (5/6) | 17 (5/6) | Examining DTN in number, branching pattern, length and diameter | IFT, PDTA, ITC | 3.242, 3, 4, 5 |
| Banks CA 2019 | Clinical | 5 (x/x) | 5 (5/0) | Experiences with V to VII nerve transfers for smile reanimation | TM, ZA | x |
| Karagoz H 2015 | Cadaveric | 5 (2/3) | 10 (0/5) | Evaluating the anatomy of the anterior, middle and posterior deep temporal nerves; nerves to the temporalis muscle; and their availability for direct muscle neurotisation of the orbicularis oculi | IFT, ZA, TM | 2.82, 3 (anterior and posterior branches were found in all specimens) |
| Kwak HH 2003 | Cadaveric | 22 (22/14) | 36 (X/X) | Clarifying the positional relationships and the clinical relevance of the course variations of the branches of the anterior mandibular nerve trunk with reference to the surrounding anatomical structures | IFT, LPMs | X |
| Mahan MA 2016 | Cadaveric + case report | 8 (x/x) + 1(1/0) | 16 (0/8) | Surgical approach to DTN for nVII reconstruction. Distance of DTN branch to jugal point | JP | 33 out of 3 bilateral dissections |
| Dauwe PB 2016 | Cadaveric | 16 (7/9) | 30 (0/15) + 6 (0/3) surgical approaches | Surgical approach to DTN for nVII reconstruction. Distance of DTN branches to tragus and zygomatic arch | ZA, Tragus | 2.472, 3 (23/30 anterior, 30/30 middle, 20/30 posterior) |
| Staples 2021 | Cadaveric | 2 (x/x) | 4 (0/2) preserved + 4 (0/2) unpreserved | Surgical approach DTN transfer for eyelid reconstruction | ZA, Tragus | 33 out of 4 preserved facial halves |
Abbreviations: DTN: deep temporal nerve, IFT: infratemporal fossa, ITC: infratemporal crest, PDTA: posterior deep temporal artery, ITF: infratemporal crest, ZA: zygomatic arch, TM: temporalis muscle, LPMs: superior head of lateral pterygoid muscle, JP: jugal point