A 17-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital with tonsillitis. A tonsillectomy is performed and the patient complains postoperatively of ear pain. Which of the following nerves was most likely injured during the surgical procedure?

The glossopharyngeal nerve mediates general somatic sensation from the pharynx, the auditory tube, and from the middle ear. Painful sensations from the pharynx, including the auditory tube, can be referred to the ear by this nerve, as in this case of tonsillectomy. The auriculotemporal nerve supplies skin of the auricle and tympanic membrane and scalp. This nerve would not be involved directly or indirectly in the operation. The lesser petrosal nerve contains preganglionic parasympathetic fibers that run in the glossopharyngeal and tympanic nerves before synapsing in the otic ganglion. The vagus nerve mediates general somatic afferent supply to the auricle and external acoustic meatus; stimulation of the meatus can trigger a gag reflex or coughing reflex. The chorda tympani mediates taste for the anterior two thirds of the tongue.