Cervical plexus

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

The cervical plexus is a plexus of the ventral rami of the first four cervical spinal nerves which are located from C1 to C4 cervical segment in the neck. They are located laterally to the transverse processes between prevertebral muscles from the medial side and vertebral (m.scalenus, m.levator scapulae, m.splenius cervicis) from lateral side. Here there is anastomosis with accessory nerve, hypoglossal nerve and sympathetic trunk.

It is located in the neck, deep to sternocleidomastoid. Nerves formed from the cervical plexus innervate the back of the head, as well as some neck muscles. The branches of the cervical plexus emerge from the posterior triangle at the nerve point, a point which lies midway on the posterior border of the Sternocleidomastoid.

Branches

has two types of branches: cutaneous and muscular.

• Cutaneous (4 branches):
  • Lesser occipital nerve - innervates lateral part of occipital region (C2,C3)
  • Greater auricular nerve - innervates skin near concha auricle and external acoustic meatus (C2&C3)
  • Transverse cervical nerve - innervates anterior region of neck (C2&C3)
  • Supraclavicular nerves - innervate region of suprascapularis, shoulder, and upper thoracic region (C3,C4)
• Muscular
  • ansa cervicalis (loop formed from C1-C3), etc. (geniohyoid (C1 only), thyrohyoid (C1 only), sternothyroid, sternohyoid, omohyoid)

Diagram

Additional images

• 

  Plan of the cervical plexus.

• 

  The nerves of the scalp, face, and side of neck.

• 

  The right sympathetic chain and its connections with the thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic plexuses.

• 

  Side of neck, showing chief surface markings.

External links

• Template:MUNAnatomy
• Template:SUNYAnatomyFigs - "Diagram of the cervical plexus"
• Template:EMedicineDictionary
• Template:MedicalMnemonics
• Diagram at msu.edu