The pulmonary plexus is an autonomic

plexus In neuroanatomy, a plexus (from the Latin term for "braid") is a branching network of vessels or nerves. The vessels may be blood vessels (veins, capillaries) or lymphatic vessels. The nerves are typically axons outside the central nervous syste ...

formed from

pulmonary branches of vagus nerve The pulmonary branches of the vagus nerve can be divided into two groups: anterior and posterior. Anterior The ''Anterior Bronchial Branches'' (rami bronchiales anteriores; anterior or ventral pulmonary branches), two or three in number, and of sm ...

and the

sympathetic trunk The sympathetic trunks (sympathetic chain, gangliated cord) are a paired bundle of nerve fibers that run from the base of the skull to the coccyx. They are a major component of the sympathetic nervous system. Structure The sympathetic trunk lies j ...

. The plexus is in continuity with the deep cardiac plexus.

Structure

It innervates the bronchial tree and the visceral pleura. According to the relation of nerves to the

root of the lung The root of the lung is a group of structures that emerge at the hilum of each lung, just above the middle of the mediastinal surface and behind the cardiac impression of the lung. It is nearer to the back (posterior border) than the front (ante ...

, the pulmonary plexus is divided into the

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

pulmonary plexus, which lies in front of the lung and the posterior pulmonary plexus, which lies behind the lung. The anterior pulmonary plexus is close in proximity to the pulmonary artery. The posterior pulmonary plexus is bounded by the superior edge of the pulmonary artery and the lower edge of the pulmonary vein. Both lungs are innervated primarily by the posterior pulmonary plexus; it accounts for 74–77% of the total innervation.

References

External links

Nerves of the torso Vagus nerve Nerve plexus {{neuroanatomy-stub