THE HEAD AND NECK 



1219 



Spheno-palatine Ganglion. — This is also called Meckel's ganglion. 



It is a small triangular, somewhat reddish body, situated on the 

 upper part of the spheno-maxillary fossa, close to the spheno- 

 palatine foramen, which leads through the inner Wall of the fossa 

 to the superior meatus of the nasal fossa. It is suspended from 

 the superior maxillary nerve by some of the fibres of the two 

 spheno-palatine branches of that nerve, many fibres of these two 

 branches, as stated, passing clear of the grey matter of the ganglion 

 into its nasal and descending palatine branches. The fibres con- 

 veyed to the grey matter of the ganglion by the two spheno- 

 palatine nerves represent its sensory root or roots. 



The ganglion has sensory and sympathetic roots, but no motor 

 root. The sensory roots are derived from two sources — superior 



Suoerior Nasal Nerves 

 Olfactory Filaments I 



Spheno-palatine Nerves from Superior Maxillary 

 ij Vidian Nerve 



Internal Carotid Arterj- 



Great Superficial Petrosal Nerve 



Great Deep Petrosal Nervo 



Meckel's Ganglion 



Post. Descending Palatine Nei vc 



Ext. Descending Palatine Nerve 

 — Ant.Descending Palatine Nerve 



Inferior Nasal Nerves 



Fig. 499. — Nerves of the Nasal Fossa, and the Spheno-palatine or 

 Meckel's Ganglion, with its Branches (Internal View) (Hirsch- 

 feld and Leveilt.e). 



maxillary and facial. The superior maxillary sensory root-fibres 

 form two bundles, and represent portions of the two spheno-palaiine 

 nerves, by which the ganglion is suspended from the trunk of the 

 superior maxillary nerve in the spheno-maxillary fossa. The facial 

 sensory root-fibres are represented by the great superficial petrosal 

 nerve, which is a branch of the ^niculate ganglion of the facial 

 nerve. The sympathetic root is formed by the great deep petrosal 

 nerve from the carotid plexus of the sympathetic. 



The facial sensory root (great superficial petrosal) and the sym.- 

 pathetic root (great deep petrosal) join to form the Vidian nerve in 

 the foramen lacerum medium. After traversing the Vidian canal 

 from behind forwards, the Vidian nerve enters the spheno-maxillary 

 fossa and joins the back part of Meckel's gangUon. In the Vidian 



