Left lateral dissection view of the head following removal of the tympanic and mastoid portions of the temporal bone. Note the relationship of the stylomastoid artery with the main trunk of the facial nerve. Both pass through the stylomastoid foramen. The chorda tympani nerve can be seen coursing from posterior to anterior deep to the tympanic membrane before emerging in the infratemporal fossa where it joins the lingual nerve. A portion of the carotid sheath encloses the upper portions of the internal jugular vein and internal carotid artery. (Image courtesy of AL Rhoton, Jr.)