Complex arborisations occurs between the inferior ganglion of
the vagus nerve and the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion
(Braeucker, 1923; Fick, 1926; Siwe, 1931; Hoffman, 1957). The superior
cervical sympathetic ganglion sends branches to the internal and the
external carotid arteries, the inferior vagal ganglion, the superior
laryngeal nerve and the cervical nerves, and provides superior cardiac
and thyroid branches as well as the trunk that descends directly to the
middle and inferior cervical sympathetic ganglia. There are
communications between the vagus nerve (laryngeal branches) and the
superior cervical sympathetic ganglion (SCSG). Cannizzaro et al. (1991)
and Zerilli et al. (1994) reported abnormalities of sympathetic
function among the effects of injury to the superior laryngeal nerve
during thyroid surgery. The interconnections between these various
nerves are therefore of clinical importance. We document here a rare
example of complex communication between the vagus nerve and the SCSG
in dissections of 113 adult (78 male, 35 female) Japanese cadavers.
Both sides were examined in 88 cases, the right only in 18 and the left
only in 7 (i.e. 201 sides in total).