medial pterygoid nerve
{{Short description|Nerve of the head}}
{{Distinguish|lateral pterygoid nerve}}
{{Infobox nerve
| Name = Medial pterygoid nerve
| Latin = nervus pterygoideus internus,
nervus pterygoideus medialis
| Image = Nervuspterygoideusmedialis.png
| Caption = Mandibular division of the trigeminus nerve. (Internal pterygoid nerve visible but not labeled.)
| Image2 = Gray782 updated.png
| Caption2 = Mandibular division of trifacial nerve, seen from the middle line. Nerve to medial pterygoid labeled at bottom.
| Innervates = Medial pterygoid, tensor veli palatini, tensor tympani
| BranchFrom = Mandibular nerve
| BranchTo =
}}
The medial pterygoid nerve (nerve to medial pterygoid,{{Cite book |last=Standring |first=Susan |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1201341621 |title=Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-7020-7707-4 |edition=42th |location=New York |pages=680 |oclc=1201341621}} or internal pterygoid nerve{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}) is a nerve of the head. It is a branch of the mandibular nerve (CN V3). It supplies the medial pterygoid muscle, the tensor veli palatini muscle, and the tensor tympani muscle.
Structure
= Origin =
The medial pterygoid nerve is a slender branch of the mandibular nerve (CN V3) (itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve (CN V)).
= Course =
It passes through the otic ganglion (without synapsing).{{Cite book |last1=Barral |first1=Jean-Pierre |title=Manual Therapy for the Cranial Nerves |last2=Croibier |first2=Alain |publisher=Churchill Livingstone |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7020-3100-7 |pages=139–146 |language=en |chapter=17 - Mandibular nerve |doi=10.1016/B978-0-7020-3100-7.50020-3 |chapter-url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780702031007500203}}{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=August 2023}} It penetrates the deep surface of the medial pterygoid muscle. It issues 1-2 twigs which traverse the otic ganglion (without synapsing) to reach and innervate the tensor tympani muscle, and tensor veli palatini muscle.
= Distribution =
The medial pterygoid nerve supplies the medial pterygoid muscle, tensor tympani muscle, and tensor veli palatini muscle (via the nerve to tensor veli palatini).
The tensor veli palati muscle is the only of the five paired skeletal muscles to the soft palate not innervated by the pharyngeal plexus.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Trigeminal nerve}}
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