Corpus: Superior cardiac nerve

The superior cervical cardiac nerve is one of the three sympathetic cardiac nerves. It arises from the superior cervical ganglion.

The superior cervical cardiac nerve runs caudally behind the common carotid artery and in front of the longus colli muscle. It crosses the inferior thyroid artery and the recurrent laryngeal nerve ventrally. The course of the superior cervical cardiac nerve is then side-specific.

On the right side of the neck, it runs in the transition to the thorax along the anonymous artery to the back of the aortic arch - either in front of or behind the subclavian artery. There it radiates into the deep part of the cardiac plexus on the right side. The nerve communicates with other sympathetic nerve branches and also receives fibres from the superior laryngeal nerve, the vagus nerve and the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Some of its fibres are connected to the medium cervical ganglion.

On the left side of the body, the superior cervical cardiac nerve runs caudally in front of the left common carotid artery and crosses the left side of the aortic arch. It radiates into the superficial part of the cardiac plexus on the left side.