A patient presented to the clinic with deafness and tinnitus in his right ear. On examination he was found to have right sided facial paralysis and loss of taste sensation on the anterior half of the right side of the tongue. Which of the following aery is most likely to be occluded in this patient?

This patient is showing features of occlusion of anterior inferior cerebellar aery which supplies the structures in the inferior pons such as fibers of the seventh nerve, solitary nucleus and tract and cochlear nuclei. Patients with occlusion of anterior inferior cerebellar aery develops tinnitus, deafness, ipsilateral facial paralysis and loss of taste on ipsilateral half of tongue anteriorly. Ref: Waxman S.G. (2010). Chapter 12. Vascular Supply of the Brain. In S.G. Waxman (Ed), Clinical Neuroanatomy, 26e.