Pterygopalatine nerves

Two nerves that descend to the pterygopalatine ganglion

Pterygopalatine nerves
Alveolar branches of superior maxillary nerve and pterygopalatine ganglion. (Pterygopalatine nerves visible but not labeled.)
An illustration of the path of the maxillary nerve.
Details
From	Maxillary nerve
To	Pterygopalatine ganglion
Identifiers
Latin	nervi pterygopalatini, nervi sphenopalatini
TA98	A14.2.01.039
TA2	6218
FMA	52731
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

The two pterygopalatine nerves (or sphenopalatine branches) descend to the pterygopalatine ganglion.^[1]

Although it is closely related to the pterygopalatine ganglion, it is still considered a branch of the maxillary nerve and does not synapse in the ganglion.^[2]

It is found in the pterygopalatine fossa.^[3]

Additional images

Distribution of the maxillary and mandibular nerves, and the submaxillary ganglion.

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 890 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

^ "eMedicine - Perineural Spread of Tumor Along the Fifth and Seventh Cranial Nerves : Article by Charles Lee". Retrieved 2008-02-28.
^ Hiatt, James L.; Gartner, Leslie P. (2010). Textbook of head and neck anatomy 4th edition. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 295. ISBN 978-0-7817-8932-5.
^ Anne M. R. Agur; Moore, Keith L. (2007). Essential Clinical Anatomy (Point (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)). Hagerstown, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 562. ISBN 978-0-7817-6274-8.

The trigeminal nerve

ophthalmic (V1)

frontal	supratrochlear supraorbital
nasociliary	long ciliary infratrochlear posterior ethmoidal anterior ethmoidal external nasal sensory root of ciliary ganglion ciliary ganglion
lacrimal

maxillary (V2)

in middle cranial fossa	middle meningeal
in pterygopalatine fossa	zygomatic zygomaticotemporal zygomaticofacial infraorbital posterior superior alveolar middle superior alveolar anterior superior alveolar

mandibular (V3)

in middle cranial fossa	meningeal
anterior division	to muscles of mastication medial pterygoid/to tensor veli palatini lateral pterygoid masseteric deep temporal buccal
posterior division	auriculotemporal otic ganglion lingual submandibular ganglion inferior alveolar mylohyoid mental