Auricular Oblique Muscle, Posterior View

Description

Running posterosuperior to the auricle (pinna), the obliquus auriculae (auricular oblique muscle) is traced as a thin slip spanning the cranial surface of the auricular cartilage toward the mastoid region. The muscle lies superficial to the mastoid portion of the temporal bone, posterior to the external acoustic meatus, and blends with the fascia over the auricular cartilage near the scapha and triangular fossa. The helix and antihelix form the lateral contour, while the muscle’s fibers are oriented obliquely across the posterior auricular surface. Small but distinct. A posterior perspective matters because the intrinsic auricular muscles are easiest to conceptualize when you can separate them from the larger extrinsic group, including the posterior auricular muscle supplied by the facial nerve (CN VII). This view is also a practical teaching angle for otoplasty and auricular reconstruction, where dissection stays close to the perichondrium on the posterior surface of the pinna and minor muscular slips can be encountered or sacrificed without functional consequence. Clinical discussions of auricular movement, facial nerve injury, and posterior auricular incisions land better when the obliquus auriculae is positioned correctly relative to the mastoid and external acoustic meatus. Use this illustration in head and neck anatomy labs to clarify intrinsic versus extrinsic auricular musculature, and in surgical education materials covering posterior auricular approaches, otoplasty planning, and postauricular flap elevation. It also fits well in atlas plates or review chapters on the external ear, where small named structures are often omitted or mislabeled. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.