PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SPHENOPALATINE GANGLION

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Abstract
The vasomotor reactions in the nasal mucosa were measured by the method of Tschallussow, which depends upon changes in volume of the nasal cavity. It was found that in the dog vaso-constrictor fibers for the nasal mucous membrane travel as follows: the preganglionic fibers run in the cervical sympathetic and synapse in the superior cervical ganglion. The post-ganglionic fibers go to the internal carotid nerve; the major portion of them join the posterior nasal nerve and reach the nasal mucous membrane with this nerve. A small number reach the deep petrosal, go to the Vidian nerve, traverse the sphenopalatine ganglion, and reach the nose by way of the posterior nasal nerve. In the dog vaso-dilator fibers for the nasal mucous membrane travel in 2 ways: a) from the facial nerve the preganglionic fibers travel in the major superficial petrosal to the sphenopalatine ganglion, where they undergo a synapse. The post-ganglionic fibers enter the posterior nasal nerve and go to the nose. b) Vaso-dilators run in the cervical sympathetic and probably synapse in the superior cervical ganglion. From here they travel in the internal carotid nerve, to the posterior nasal nerve, and reach the nasal mucous membrane. No antidromic vasodilators are present in the posterior nasal nerve of the dog. Sensory nerves for the nasal mucous membrane are visceral and somatic. The visceral fibers run through the sphenopalatine ganglion to the Vidian nerve to the greater superficial petrosal nerve to the facial nerve. The somatic fibers run in the posterior nasal nerve of the trigeminus. Both sets of fibers are capable of producing respiratory, cardiac, ocular, facial, and lingual reflexes. Reflex vasomotor changes in the nasal mucous membrane can be evoked by stimulation of the Vidian nerve, posterior nasal nerve and others. There are no sensory fibers in the cervical sympathetic of the dog. These findings on the dog do not seem to help in explaining effects reported from cocainizing the sphenopalatine ganglion in man.

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