Anatomy, Head and Neck, Deep Petrosal Nerve

Anatomy, Head and Neck, Deep Petrosal Nerve

Goosmann Madeline M; Dalvin Mark

StatPearls

2018

2018-01

The deep petrosal nerve is a branch from the internal carotid plexus.[1] The plexus is located on the lateral side of the internal carotid as it courses superiorly. The deep petrosal enters the skull through the carotid canal with the internal carotid artery.[1] Without passing completely through the carotid canal, the deep petrosal travels perpendicular to the canal in another bony canal called foramen lacerum. The foramen lacerum is closed with cartilaginous substance superficially. The location of this foramen is between the body of sphenoid where the greater wing of the sphenoid and pterygoid plate meets anteriorly, petrous temporal bone laterally, and basilar occipital bone medially.[1] In foramen lacerum, the deep petrosal nerve joins with the greater petrosal nerve to form the vidian nerve also called the nerve of the pterygoid canal.[1][2][3] The vidian nerve carries parasympathetic and sympathetic fibers through the pterygoid canal to the pterygopalatine ganglion, otherwise known as the sphenopalatine ganglion.[4] Parasympathetic fibers synapse in the pterygopalatine ganglion, whereas sympathetic fibers pass through without synapsing.[1][5] The fibers carried by the deep petrosal nerve originated in the intermediate gray horn of the spinal cord around the level of T1, traveled superiorly through the sympathetic chain, and synapsed in the superior cervical ganglion located around the level of C2-C3.[1] Because the sympathetic fibers have already synapsed, they do not synapse again in the pterygopalatine ganglion. The sympathetic fibers continue after the pterygopalatine ganglion to run along the zygomatic nerve to blood vessels and secretomotor elements in the lacrimal gland, nose, and oral cavity.[1]

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