lesser petrosal nerve

The lesser petrosal nerve carries preganglionic parasympathetic fibers to the parotid gland. It is considered a branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve although it receives contributions from two further sources :

The nerve passes through its own canal to the floor of the middle cranial fossa, where it is located between the two layers of the dura mater between the petrous branch of the middle meningeal artery (medial) and the superior tympanic artery (lateral) .  It passes forwards roughly in parallel to the greater petrosal nerve to exit the skull via foramen ovale to eventually join the otic ganglion.

Siehe auch:

• Dura mater
• Glandula parotidea
• geniculate ganglion
• Nervus glossopharyngeus

und weiter:

• Nervus facialis
• Ganglion oticum