Tonsillar Branches of Lesser Palatine Nerves (Left)
Rami tonsillares nervorum palatinorum minorum
Read moreQuick Facts
Origin: Lesser palatine nerves.
Course: Run inferiorly and laterally to the tonsillar bed just posterior to the palatoglossus muscle.
Branches: None.
Supply: Sensory: convey general sensation from the mucosa of the palatine tonsillar bed and surface; Parasympathetic: innervation to mucosal glands of the same territories.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The tonsillar branches originate as branches of the lesser palatine nerves that emerge distal to the lesser palatine foramen.
Course
From their origin, the tonsillar branches of the lesser palatine nerves run inferiorly and laterally to reach the palatine tonsillar bed just posterior to the palatoglossus muscle. They spread out across the tonsillar bed, communicating with tonsillar branches of the glossopharyngeal nerve.
Branches
There are no named branches; however, the tonsillar branches do form communications in the tonsillar bed with tonsillar fibers from the glossopharyngeal nerve.
Supplied Structures
The tonsillar branches of the lesser palatine nerves are mixed nerves carrying sensory and parasympathetic fibers. The sensory fibers have cell bodies located in the trigeminal ganglion while the parasympathetic fibers originate in the pterygopalatine ganglion.
The sensory fibers convey general sense information from the mucosa of the palatine tonsil and tonsillar bed.
The parasympathetic fibers innervate the small mucosal glands of the same territories.
