The nasopalatine nerve (long sphenopalatine nerve) is a

nerve A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons) in the peripheral nervous system. A nerve transmits electrical impulses. It is the basic unit of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the e ...

of the head. It is a branch of the

pterygopalatine ganglion The pterygopalatine ganglion (aka Meckel's ganglion, nasal ganglion, or sphenopalatine ganglion) is a parasympathetic ganglion found in the pterygopalatine fossa. It is largely innervated by the greater petrosal nerve (a branch of the facial ne ...

, a continuation from the

maxillary nerve In neuroanatomy, the maxillary nerve (V) is one of the three branches or divisions of the trigeminal nerve, the fifth (CN V) cranial nerve. It comprises the principal functions of sensation from the maxilla, nasal cavity, sinuses, the palate a ...

(V₂). It supplies parts of the palate and nasal septum.

Structure

The nasopalatine nerve communicates with the corresponding nerve of the opposite side and with the greater palatine nerve. The

medial superior posterior nasal branch Medial may refer to: Mathematics * Medial magma, a mathematical identity in algebra Geometry * Medial axis, in geometry the set of all points having more than one closest point on an object's boundary * Medial graph, another graph that repre ...

es of the

usually branch from the nasopalatine nerve.

Origin

The nasopalatine nerve is a branch of the

, a continuation from the

(V₂), itself a branch of the

trigeminal nerve In neuroanatomy, the trigeminal nerve ( lit. ''triplet'' nerve), also known as the fifth cranial nerve, cranial nerve V, or simply CN V, is a cranial nerve responsible for sensation in the face and motor functions such as biting and chewin ...

. It enters the

nasal cavity The nasal cavity is a large, air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face. The nasal septum divides the cavity into two cavities, also known as fossae. Each cavity is the continuation of one of the two nostrils. The nasal c ...

through the sphenopalatine foramen.

Course

It passes across the roof of the

below the orifice of the sphenoidal sinus to reach the nasal septum. It then runs obliquely downward and forward between the periosteum and mucous membrane of the lower part of the nasal septum. It descends to the roof of the mouth through the

incisive canal The incisive canals (also: "''nasopalatine canals''") are two bony canals of the anterior hard palate connecting the nasal cavity and the oral cavity. An incisive canal courses through each maxilla. Below, the two incisive canals typically converg ...

to the

hard palate The hard palate is a thin horizontal bony plate made up of two bones of the facial skeleton, located in the roof of the mouth. The bones are the palatine process of the maxilla and the horizontal plate of palatine bone. The hard palate spans ...

Function

The nasopalatine nerve supplies the anterior-most portion of the palate (the mucous membrane of the palate just posterior to the upper incisors), as well as the posteroinferior portion of the nasal septum.

Clinical significance

The nasopalatine nerve may be anaesthetised in order to performs

surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

on the

or the

soft palate The soft palate (also known as the velum, palatal velum, or muscular palate) is, in mammals, the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is part of the palate of the mouth; the other part is the hard palate. ...

History

The nasopalatine nerve was first identified by Domenico Cotugno.

Additional images

File:Gray187.png, Base of skull. Inferior surface.

References

External links

* * ()
Diagram 1 at adi-visuals.com

{{Authority control Nerves