Quick Facts
Origin: Sympathetic trunk of sacral region.
Course: Anteriorly to the inferior hypogastric plexus.
Branches: No branches.
Supply: Sympathetic innervation to the vessels and viscera of the pelvis.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The sacral splanchnic nerves originate at the sacral ganglia of the sympathetic trunk. The axons that give rise to these nerves originate from the first and second lumbar nerves and descend through the sympathetic trunk to arrive at the sacral ganglia.
Course
From the sacral ganglia, the sacral splanchnic nerves run anteriorly to the inferior hypogastric plexus.
Branches
There are no branches of the sacral splanchnic nerves.
Supplied Structures & Function
The sacral splanchnic nerves provide sympathetic innervation to the vessels and viscera of the pelvis. This includes the reproductive and genital organs such as the ovaries, uterus, vagina, ureters, urethra, bladder, and rectum.
Visceral sensory fibers from the same tissues travel back to the central nervous system via the sacral splanchnic nerves.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Lumbar Splanchnic Nerves
The lumbar splanchnic nerves are preganglionic fibres connecting the ganglia to the aortic plexus.
