Esophageal plexus

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Nerve: Esophageal plexus

The tracheobronchial lymph glands. (Esophageal plexus visible at bottom center.)

Course and distribution of the glossopharyngeal, vagus, and accessory nerves.
Latin	plexus oesophageus
Gray's	subject #205 913
Innervates
From	vagus nerve and sympathetic trunk
To	esophagus(same fibers make up the cardiac plexus
MeSH	[1]

The esophageal plexus is formed by fibers from two sources: 1.branches of the vagus nerve 2.visceral branches of the sympathetic trunk. The esophageal plexus and the cardiac plexus contain the same types of fibers and are both considered thoracic autonomic plexus(es).

1. The Vagus Nerve delivers two fiber types to the esophageal plexus:

A. Parasympathetic preganglionic fibers- These fibers have their cell bodies located in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and they will synapse on the terminal ganglia in the walls of the esophagus.
B. Afferent fibers- These fibers are primarily concerned with autonomic reflexes and they have their cell bodies in the inferior ganglion of the vagus.

"Note": These vagalal fibers in the esophageal plexus reform to make the anterior vagal trunk (left vagus) and the posterior vagal trunk (right vagus). Anterior and posterior being terms in relation to the esophagus

2. The visceral branches of the sympathetic trunk also deliver two fiber types to the esophageal plexus

A. sympathetic postganglionic fibers- The cell bodies of these fibers are located in the sympathetic trunk ganglia. The cell bodies of the preganglionic fibers, the first neuron of this two neuron chain, are located in the intermediolateral cell column (IMLCC) of the thoracic spinal cord.
B. Afferent fibers- These fibers are primarily concerned with pain and have cell bodies located in the dorsal root ganglion.

Additional images[]

External links[]

Dictionary at eMedicine esophageal+%28nervous%29+plexus
Dictionary at eMedicine vagal+trunk
SUNY Labs 21:11-0105 - "Mediastinum: The Esophageal Plexus"

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 As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated.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.

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Nerves of head and neck: the cranial nerves

I-IV: olfactory - optic - oculomotor - 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 (palatine, nasopalatine, pharyngeal)
V3: mandibular: nervus spinosus - medial pterygoid - anterior (masseteric, deep temporal, buccal, lateral pterygoid)
posterior (auriculotemporal, lingual, inferior alveolar, mylohyoid, mental) - otic ganglion - submandibular ganglion