Quick Facts
Sympathetic Contribution: Lumbar splanchnic nerves via the uterovaginal plexus.
Parasympathetic Contribution: Pelvic splanchnic nerves via the uterovaginal plexus.
Course: Passes inferiorly along the lateral walls of the vagina, passing between it and the medial wall of the pelvic floor. It then runs anteriorly, running parallel to the ischiopubic rami.
Sympathetic Supply: Supplies the smooth muscle and arteries of the corpora cavernosa of the clitoris.
Parasympathetic Supply: Supplies the smooth muscle and arteries of the corpora cavernosa of the clitoris.
Contributing Nerves
The cavernous nerves of the clitoris are branches that arise from the uterovaginal plexus and vaginal nerves.
Course
These nerves descend as part of the periarterial plexus surrounding the vaginal artery. As such, they pass along the external and lateral surfaces of the vagina. At the pelvic floor, the axons pass between the lateral margin of the vagina and the medial edge of levator ani muscle, arriving in the deep perineal pouch. Once in the perineum, they turn anteriorly and medially between the ischiopubic ramus and the external urethral sphincter, crossing into the superficial perineal pouch (Moszkowicz et al., 2011).
Branches
There may be minor and major branches of the main trunk.
Supplied Structures
Autonomic innervation of the corpora cavernosum of clitoris.
List of Clinical Correlates
—Female sexual arousal
References
Moszkowicz, D., Alsaid, B., Bessede, T., Zaitouna, M., Penna, C., Benoit, G. and Peschaud, F. (2011) 'Neural supply to the clitoris: immunohistochemical study with three-dimensional reconstruction of cavernous nerve, spongious nerve, and dorsal clitoris nerve in human fetus', J Sex Med, 8(4), pp. 1112-22.
