Corpus: Deep petrosal nerve

The profundus petrosal nerve is a nerve of the head region formed from sympathetic nerve fibres of the internal carotid plexus.

The profundus petrosus nerve runs laterally from the internal carotid artery in the superior carotid canal. It reaches the cartilage tissue of the foramen lacerum and joins there with the greater petrosal nerve to form the pterygoid canal nerve. Through it, its fibres reach the pterygopalatine ganglion, from where they continue unconnected to their target organs.

The profundus petrosus nerve contains sympathetic fibres that innervate the lacrimal gland, the nasal glandulae, the palatine glandulae and some blood vessels in the head region. It also innervates the orbitalis muscle, which presumably regulates the venous return of blood into the inferior ophthalmic vein.