Persistence of the foramen of Huschke in the adult: an osteological study.

The foramen of Huschke, which appears during the embryological development of the tympanic bone, usually closes by the age of five years. A review of 377 dried skulls revealed that the foramen of Huschke was present in adult life in 7% of the skulls examined. A patent foramen of Huschke in the adult may, in rare cases, be the cause of temporomandibular joint herniation or fistulization through the anterior wall of the bony external canal.