cervical plexus

Examples of cervical plexus in the following topics:

• Cervical Plexus

  • The cervical plexus is the plexus of the ventral rami of the first four cervical spinal nerves.
  • The cervical plexus is a plexus of the ventral rami of the first four cervical spinal nerves located from the C1 to C4 cervical segment in the neck.
  • Nerves formed from the cervical plexus innervate the back of the head, as well as some neck muscles.
  • The cervical plexus has two types of branches: cutaneous and muscular.
  • The great auricular nerve originates from the cervical plexus and is composed of branches from spinal nerves C2 and C3.

• Plexuses

  • The cervical plexus is formed by the ventral rami of the upper four cervical nerves and the upper part of fifth cervical ventral ramus.
  • The plexus extends toward the armpit (axilla).
  • The lumbar plexus is formed by the ventral rami of L1–L5 spinal nerves with a contribution of T12 form the lumbar plexus.
  • In addition, the celiac plexus serves the internal organs, and Auerbach's plexus serves the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Cervical (C5–C8) and thoracic (T1) nerves comprise the brachial plexus, which is a nerve plexus that provides sensory and motor function to the shoulders and upper limbs.

• Brachial Plexus

  • The brachial plexus is formed by the four lower cervical spinal nerves and the first thoracic spinal nerve.
  • The brachial plexus is a network of nerve fibers that run from the spine that are formed by the ventral rami of the lower four cervical and first thoracic nerve roots (C5–C8, T1).
  • Lesions on the brachial plexus can lead to severe functional impairment.
  • The brachial plexus is divided into roots, trunks, divisions, cords, and branches.
  • The right brachial plexus with its short branches, viewed from the front.

• Overview of the Spinal Nerves

  • Thus the cervical nerves are numbered by the vertebra below, except C8, which exists below C7 and above T1.
  • The anterior distribution includes the cervical plexus (C1–C4) and brachial plexus (C5–T1).
  • The muscles innervated by the cervical nerves are the sternohyoid, sternothyroid, and omohyoid muscles.
  • A loop of nerves called ansa cervicalis is also part of the cervical plexus.
  • Its anterior root helps form the coccygeal plexus.

• Intercostal Nerves

  • They differ from the anterior divisions of the other spinal nerves in that each pursues an independent course without plexus formation.
  • The larger branch leaves the thorax in front of the neck of the first rib and enters the brachial plexus.
  • The branch from the second nerve unites with the anterior supraclavicular nerves of the cervical plexus.

• Injuries to Nerves Emerging from the Brachial Plexus

  • These nerves originate in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth cervical (C5-C8), and first thoracic (T1) spinal nerves, and innervate the muscles and skin of the chest, shoulder, arm, and hand.
  • The brachial plexus may be injured by falls from a height on to the side of the head and shoulder, whereby the nerves of the plexus are violently stretched.
  • Most infrequently, sudden upward pulling on an abducted arm (as when someone breaks a fall by grasping a tree branch) produces a lower brachial plexus lesion, in which the eighth cervical (C8) and first thoracic (T1) nerves are injured "either before or after they have joined to form the lower trunk.
  • Cervical (C5-C8) and thoracic (T1) comprise the brachial plexus, which is a nerve plexus that provides sensory and motor function to the shoulders and upper limbs.
  • Describe the effects of injuries to the nerves of the brachial plexus

• Autonomic Plexuses

  • The autonomic plexuses include the cardiac plexus, the pulmonary plexus, the esophageal plexus, and abdominal aortic plexus, and the superior and inferior hypogastric plexuses.
  • The cardiac plexus is a plexus of nerves situated at the base of the heart that innervates the heart.
  • It is formed by the superior cardiac branch of the left sympathetic trunk and the lower superior cervical cardiac branch of the left vagus nerve.
  • The esophageal plexus and the cardiac plexus contain the same types of fibers and are both considered thoracic autonomic plexus(es).
  • The inferior hypogastric plexus (pelvic plexus in some texts) is a plexus of nerves that supplies the viscera of the pelvic cavity.

• Function and Physiology of the Spinal Nerves

  • Each pair of spinal nerves roughly correspond to a segment of the vertebral column: 8 cervical spinal nerve pairs (C1–C8), 12 thoracic pairs (T1–T12), 5 lumbar pairs (L1–L5), 5 sacral pairs (S1–S5), and 1 coccygeal pair.
  • The first 4 cervical spinal nerves, C1 through C4, split and recombine to produce a variety of nerves that subserve the neck and back of the head.
  • The last four cervical spinal nerves, C5 through C8, and the first thoracic spinal nerve, T1, combine to form the brachial plexus, or plexus brachialis, a tangled array of nerves, splitting, combining and recombining to form the nerves that subserve the upper limb region and upper back.
  • Although the brachial plexus may appear tangled, it is highly organized and predictable with little variation among people.
  • For descriptive purposes, this plexus is usually divided into three parts: lumbar plexus, sacral plexus, and pudendal plexus.

• Branches of Spinal Nerves

  • Some ventral rami merge with adjacent ventral rami to form a nerve plexus, a network of interconnecting nerves.
  • Nerves emerging from a plexus contain fibers from various spinal nerves, which are now carried together to some target location.
  • Major plexuses include the cervical, brachial, lumbar, and sacral plexuses.

• Sacral and Coccygeal Plexuses

  • The sacral plexus is the plexus of the three sacral spinal nerves (S2–S4) that arise from the lower back just above the sacrum.
  • The sacral plexus is a nerve plexus that provides motor and sensory nerves for the posterior thigh, most of the lower leg, the entire foot, and part of the pelvis.
  • Often, the sacral plexus and the lumbar plexus are considered to be one large nerve plexus, the lumbosacral plexus.
  • The coccygeal plexus originates from the S4, S5, and Co1 spinal nerves.
  • It is interconnected with the lower part of the sacral plexus.