The vidian nerve was stimulated electrically in the dog and this resulted in a reduced patency of the Eustachian tube. The effect was atropine resistant. This physiological evidence in the dog corresponds to anatomical evidence in man of a parasympathetic, vasodilator nerve bundle passing through the vidian to the sphenopalatine ganglion and then via the pharyngeal nerve to the Eustachian tube mucosa. Additional parasympathetic routes to the tube may exist.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
JacksonRT: Pharmacological mechanisms in the Eustachian Tube. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol80: 313–318, 1971
2.
EcclesRWilsonH: The autonomic innervation of the nasal blood vessels of the cat. J Physiol238: 549–560, 1974
3.
WarwickRWilliamsPL: Gray's Anatomy, 35th British Ed.Philadelphia, Saunders, 1973, p 1007
4.
ProctorB: Embryology and anatomy of the Eustachian tube. Arch Otolaryngol86: 503–514, 1967
5.
MitchellGAG: The autonomic nerve supply of the throat, nose and ear. J Laryng Otol68: 495–516, 1954