Placement of mandibular nerve block using computed tomography to locate the foramen ovale in a patient with severe dislocation after segmental mandiblectomy.

Operations to the face and skull can obscure the landmarks that are required to locate the position of the foramen ovale. We describe the use of three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) to guide the approach to the foramen ovale to block the mandibular nerve in a patient with a mandibular deformity that had been caused by segmental mandiblectomy. Successful blockage of the mandibular nerve controlled the pain, contributed to the relief of physical and mental stress, and avoided the side effects of analgesics and pain from inserting the blocking needle.