Pterygopalatine ganglion

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Nerve: Pterygopalatine ganglion
Alveolar branches of superior maxillary nerve and pterygopalatine ganglion.
The pterygopalatine ganglion and its branches.
Latin	g. pterygopalatinum
Gray's	subject #200 891
From	trigeminal nerve
Dorlands/Elsevier	g_02/12384795

The pterygopalatine ganglion (or sphenopalatine ganglion) is a parasympathetic ganglion found in the pterygopalatine fossa.

Contents 1 Structure 2 Roots 2.1 Sensory root 2.2 Motor root 2.3 Sympathetic root 3 Additional images 4 External links

[edit] Structure

The pterygopalatine ganglion (ganglion of Meckel), the largest of the parasympathetic ganglia associated with the branches of the trigeminal nerve, is deeply placed in the pterygopalatine fossa, close to the sphenopalatine foramen. It is triangular or heart-shaped, of a reddish-gray color, and is situated just below the maxillary nerve as it crosses the fossa.

The pterygopalatine ganglion supplies the lacrimal gland, paranasal sinuses, glands of the mucosa of the nasal cavity and pharynx, the gums, and the mucous membrane and glands of the hard palate. It communicates anteriorly with the nasopalatine nerve.

[edit] Roots

It receives a sensory, a motor, and a sympathetic root.

[edit] Sensory root

Its sensory root is derived from two sphenopalatine branches of the maxillary nerve; their fibers, for the most part, pass directly into the palatine nerves; a few, however, enter the ganglion, constituting its sensory root.

[edit] Motor root

Its motor root is derived from the nervus intermedius (a part of the facial nerve) through the greater petrosal nerve.

In the pterygopalatine ganglion, the parasympathetic fibers they form synapses with neurons whose postganglionic axons, vasodilator and secretory fibers, are distributed with the deep branches of the trigeminal nerve to the mucous membrane of the nose, soft palate, tonsils, uvula, roof of the mouth, upper lip and gums, and to the upper part of the pharynx. It also sends postganglionic parasympathetic fibers to the lacrimal gland via the zygomatic nerve, a branch of the maxillary nerve (from the trigeminal nerve) which then connects with the lacrimal nerve (a branch of the ophthalmic nerve, also part of the trigeminal nerve) to arrive at the lacrimal gland.

[edit] Sympathetic root

The ganglion also consists of sympathetic efferent (postganglionic) fibers from the superior cervical ganglion. These fibers, from the superior cervical ganglion, travel through the carotid plexus, and then through the deep petrosal nerve. The deep petrosal nerve joins with the greater petrosal nerve to form the nerve of the pterygoid canal, which enters the ganglion.

[edit] Additional images

Plan of the facial and intermediate nerves and their communication with other nerves.	The right sympathetic chain and its connections with the thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic plexuses.	Diagram of efferent sympathetic nervous system.	Sympathetic connections of the sphenopalatine and superior cervical ganglia.
Diagram of the cervical sympathetic.

[edit] External links

• synd/2132 at Who Named It

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

Cranial nerves

I-IV: olfactory - optic - oculomotor - trochlear V: trigeminal: semilunar ganglion V1: ophthalmic: lacrimal - frontal (supratrochlear, supraorbital) - nasociliary (long root of ciliary, long ciliary, infratrochlear, ethmoidal) - ciliary ganglion - short ciliary V2: maxillary: middle meningeal - in the pterygopalatine fossa (zygomatic, zygomaticotemporal, zygomaticofacial, sphenopalatine, posterior superior alveolar) in the infraorbital canal (middle superior alveolar, anterior superior alveolar) on the face (inferior palpebral, external nasal, superior labial, infraorbital plexus) - pterygopalatine ganglion (deep petrosal, nerve of pterygoid canal) branches of distribution (palatine, nasopalatine, pharyngeal) V3: mandibular: nervus spinosus - internal pterygoid - anterior (masseteric, deep temporal, buccinator, external pterygoid) posterior (auriculotemporal, lingual, inferior alveolar, mylohyoid, mental) - otic ganglion - submandibular ganglion VI: abducent VII: facial: nervus intermedius - geniculate - inside facial canal (great petrosal, nerve to the stapedius, chorda tympani) at exit from stylomastoid foramen (posterior auricular, digastric - stylohyoid) on face (temporal, zygomatic, buccal, mandibular, cervical) VIII: vestibulocochlear: cochlear (striae medullares, lateral lemniscus) - vestibular IX: glossopharyngeal: fasciculus solitarius - nucleus ambiguus - sympathetic efferent fibers - ganglia (superior, petrous) - tympanic X: vagus: ganglia (jugular, nodose) - Alderman's nerve - in the neck (pharyngeal branch, superior laryngeal, recurrent laryngeal) - in the thorax (pulmonary branches, esophageal plexus) - in the abdomen (gastric plexuses, celiac plexus, gastric plexus) XI: accessory XII: hypoglossal

v • d • e Autonomic nervous system

sympathetic nervous system: sympathetic trunks (white ramus communicans, gray ramus communicans) - collateral ganglia cavernous plexus - cervical ganglia: (superior, middle, inferior) - splanchnic nerves: (thoracic, lumbar, sacral) - ganglion impar internal carotid - cardiac celiac: celiac ganglia - aorticorenal - renal - spermatic/ovarian - superior mesenteric - aortic plexus - inferior mesenteric - hepatic - splenic - gastric - pancreatic - suprarenal hypogastric: superior hypogastric - inferior hypogastric - vesical - prostatic - uterovaginal parasympathetic nervous system: ciliary ganglion (short ciliary nerves) - pterygopalatine ganglion (nerve of pterygoid canal) - submandibular ganglion - otic ganglion - pelvic splanchnic