The middle cervical ganglion is the smallest of the three cervical ganglia

Cervical ganglia

The cervical ganglia are paravertebral ganglia of the sympathetic nervous system. These emerging postganglionic nerves synapse with preganglionic nerves from the thoracic spinal cord. They consist of three paravertebral ganglia:* superior cervical ganglion...

, and is occasionally absent.

It is placed opposite the sixth cervical vertebra, usually in front of, or close to, the inferior thyroid artery

Inferior thyroid artery

The inferior thyroid artery arrises from the thyrocervical trunk and passes upward, in front of the vertebral artery and Longus colli, then turns medially behind the carotid sheath and its contents, and also behind the sympathetic trunk, the middle cervical ganglion resting upon the...

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It is probably formed by the coalescence of two ganglia corresponding to the fifth and sixth cervical nerves

Cervical nerves

The cervical nerves are the spinal nerves from the cervical vertebrae.Although there are seven cervical vertebrae , there are eight cervical nerves . All nerves except C8 emerge above their corresponding vertebrae, while the C8 nerve emerges below the C7 vertebra...

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It sends gray rami communicantes to the fifth and sixth cervical nerves, and gives off the middle cardiac nerve

Middle cardiac nerve

The middle cardiac nerve , the largest of the three cardiac nerves, arises from the middle cervical ganglion, or from the trunk between the middle and inferior ganglia...

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Branches:

1. Gray Rami Communicantes to the anterior rami of the fifth and sixth cervical nerves.
2. Thyroid Branches which pass along the inferior thyroid artery to the thyroid gland.
3. The middle cardiac branch, which descends in the neck and ends in the cardiac plexus in the thorax

External links

- "The Sympathetic Trunk and Cervical Ganglia"

• Clinical Anatomy by Richard S. Snell seventh edition page 744