Lesser occipital nerve

Lesser occipital nerve
Side of neck, showing chief surface markings. (Lesser occip. nerve labeled at center right.)
The nerves of the scalp, face, and side of neck. (Smaller occipital visible below and to the left of the ear.)
Details
From	cervical plexus (C2, 3)
Innervates	Cutaneous innervation of the posterior aspect of the auricle and mastoid region
Identifiers
Latin	nervus occipitalis minor
Dorlands /Elsevier	n_05/12566330
TA	A14.2.02.017
FMA	6871
*Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy* [edit on Wikidata]

The lesser occipital nerve or small occipital nerve is a cutaneous spinal nerve arising between the second and third cervical vertebrae, along with the greater occipital nerve. It innervates the scalp in the lateral area of the head posterior to the ear.

Path

The lesser occipital nerve is one of the four cutaneous branches of the cervical plexus. It arises from the lateral branch of the ventral ramus of the second cervical nerve, sometimes also from the third; it curves around and ascends along the posterior border of the Sternocleidomastoideus.

Near the cranium it perforates the deep fascia, and is continued upward along the side of the head behind the auricula, supplying the skin and communicating with the greater occipital, the great auricular, and the posterior auricular branch of the facial.

The smaller occipital varies in size, and is sometimes duplicated.

It gives off an auricular branch, which supplies the skin of the upper and back part of the auricula, communicating with the mastoid branch of the great auricular.

This branch is occasionally derived from the greater occipital nerve.

Clinical significance

Disorder in this nerve causes occipital neuralgia.

Additional images

Dermatome distribution of the trigeminal nerve

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

External links

Anatomy figure: 25:03-01 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~humananatomy/figures/chapter_47/47-2.HTM
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~humananatomy/figures/chapter_47/47-6.HTM

Nerves of the cervical plexus

Superficial	C2 Lesser occipital C2–C3 Greater auricular Transverse cervical C3–C4 Supraclavicular

Deep	C1–C3 Ansa cervicalis superior root inferior root C3–C5 Phrenic

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