Temporal Bone Findings in Trisomy 13 Syndrome

Abstract

We report the histopathological findings of a pair of temporal bones from a fetus with trisomy 13syndrome. To our knowledge, this is the eighteenth case of this syndrome with microscopic temporal bone findings reported in the literature. The temporal bones showed multiple anomalies in the middle and the inner ears. The striking finding was that the facial nerve passed through two separate canals from the internal auditory canal to the horizontal segment of the nerve. This is the second report describing a case of trisomy 13 syndrome in which the facial nerve bifurcated at the internal auditory canal.