Anat Cell Biol 2023; 56(3): 299-303
Published online September 30, 2023
https://doi.org/10.5115/acb.22.254
Copyright © Korean Association of ANATOMISTS.
Stephen Shapiro1,2 , Andrew L. Parker3
, Juan J. Cardona2
, Arada Chaiyamoon4
, Francisco Reina5
, Ana Carrera5
, Joe Iwanaga2,6
, Aaron S. Dumont2
, R. Shane Tubbs1,2,7,8,9
1Department of Neurosurgery and Ochsner Neuroscience Institute, Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA, 2Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 3Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA, 4Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand, 5Medical Sciences Department, Clinical Anatomy, Embryology and Neurosciences Research Group, University of Girona, Girona, Spain, 6Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Anatomy, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan, 7Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George’s University, St. George’s, Grenada, West Indies, 8Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA, 9University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Correspondence to:Juan J. Cardona
Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
E-mail: jcardona2@tulane.edu
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The laryngopharyngeal nerve has received much less attention that the other contributions to the pharyngeal plexus i.e., glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves. Often, in descriptions and depictions, the nerve is simply labeled as the sympathetic contribution to the pharyngeal plexus. As there is such scant information available regarding this nerve, the present review was performed. Very little is found in the extant medical literature regarding the laryngopharyngeal nerve. However, based on available data, the nerve is a consistent contributory to the pharyngeal plexus and serves other adjacent areas e.g., carotid body. Therefore, a better understanding of this structure’s anatomy is important for those who operate in this area. Further studies are necessary to better elucidate the true function of the laryngopharyngeal nerve.
Keywords: Review, Laryngopharynx, Peripheral nerves, Anatomy