Greater petrosal nerve

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Nerve: Greater petrosal nerve
The course and connections of the facial nerve in the temporal bone.
Plan of the facial and intermediate nerves and their communication with other nerves.
Latin	nervus petrosus major
Gray's	subject #202 903
From	facial nerve
To	nerve of pterygoid canal
Dorlands/Elsevier	n_05/12566464

The greater petrosal nerve is a nerve in the skull that branches from the facial nerve; it forms part of a chain of nerves that innervates the lacrimal gland.

[edit] Structure

The greater petrosal nerve is a branch of the facial nerve that arises from the geniculate ganglion, a part of the facial nerve inside the facial canal. The nerve joins with the deep petrosal nerve (a nerve which carries sympathetic fibers) to form the nerve of pterygoid canal.

This nerve is the parasympthetic root of the pterygopalatine ganglion. It carries preganglionic parasympathetic fibers to the pterygopalantine ganglion for the lacrimal glands as well as glands of the palate and nasal cavity.

[edit] Additional images

Alveolar branches of superior maxillary nerve and sphenopalatine ganglion. (

Sympathetic connections of the sphenopalatine and superior cervical ganglia.

[edit] External links

• Dictionary at eMedicine Greater+petrosal+nerve
• Norman/Georgetown cranialnerves (VII)

v • d • e Nerves of head and neck: the cranial nerves

I-IV: olfactory - optic - oculomotor (superior branch, inferior branch) - trochlear V: trigeminal: trigeminal ganglion V1: ophthalmic: lacrimal - frontal (supratrochlear, supraorbital) - nasociliary (long root of ciliary, long ciliary, infratrochlear, posterior ethmoidal, anterior ethmoidal) - ciliary ganglion (short ciliary) V2: maxillary: middle meningeal - in the pterygopalatine fossa (zygomatic, zygomaticotemporal, zygomaticofacial, sphenopalatine, posterior superior alveolar) in the infraorbital canal/infraorbital nerve (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 (greater palatine, lesser palatine, nasopalatine, pharyngeal) V3: mandibular: meningeal - medial pterygoid - anterior (masseteric, deep temporal, buccal, lateral pterygoid) posterior (auriculotemporal, lingual, inferior alveolar, mylohyoid, mental) - otic ganglion - submandibular ganglion VI: abducens VII: facial: nervus intermedius - geniculate - inside facial canal (greater 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 (Scarpa's ganglion) IX: glossopharyngeal: nucleus ambiguus - ganglia (superior, petrous) - tympanic (tympanic plexus, lesser petrosal) - carotid sinus - pharyngeal branches - pharyngeal plexus X: vagus: ganglia (jugular, nodose) - Alderman's nerve - in the neck (pharyngeal branch, superior laryngeal ext and int, recurrent laryngeal) in the thorax (pulmonary branches, esophageal plexus) - in the abdomen (gastric plexuses, celiac plexus, gastric plexus) XI: accessory XII: hypoglossal