Nerve
Otic ganglion
A parasympathetic station on the parotid pathway
High-yield
Parotid parasympathetic output originates with IX, relays in the otic ganglion and reaches the gland on a V3 branch. The nearby trigeminal nerve is the carrier, not the origin of that secretomotor pathway.
Overview
Medial to V3 below the foramen ovale, this small ganglion receives preganglionic fibers carried by the lesser petrosal nerve. Those fibers originate in the glossopharyngeal secretomotor pathway. Ganglion neurons send their axons toward the parotid gland, principally with the auriculotemporal nerve.
Reference facts
- Origin
- Preganglionic neurons in the inferior salivatory nucleus send fibers through IX, its tympanic branch and the lesser petrosal nerve.
- Course
- In the infratemporal fossa, just below the foramen ovale and medial to the mandibular nerve, near tensor veli palatini. Shape and connections vary.
- Motor
- Postganglionic parasympathetic axons travel mainly with the auriculotemporal nerve to stimulate parotid secretion.
- Sensory
- Trigeminal sensory and periarterial sympathetic fibers may pass through its connections without a parasympathetic relay; sympathetic input is associated with the middle meningeal arterial plexus.
Clinical correlation
Following parotid-region injury or surgery, regenerating parasympathetic fibers may reach skin sweat glands and vessels. Eating can then provoke local sweating and flushing, the characteristic pattern of Frey syndrome.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the otic ganglion arise?
Preganglionic neurons in the inferior salivatory nucleus send fibers through IX, its tympanic branch and the lesser petrosal nerve.
What muscles does the otic ganglion supply?
The otic ganglion supplies the postganglionic parasympathetic axons travel mainly with the auriculotemporal nerve to stimulate parotid secretion.
What is the sensory distribution of the otic ganglion?
Trigeminal sensory and periarterial sympathetic fibers may pass through its connections without a parasympathetic relay; sympathetic input is associated with the middle meningeal arterial plexus.
What is the course of the otic ganglion?
In the infratemporal fossa, just below the foramen ovale and medial to the mandibular nerve, near tensor veli palatini. Shape and connections vary.