Anatomy of thoracic splanchnic nerves for surgical resection

Abstract

Thoracic splanchnic nerves conduct pain sensation from the abdominal organs around the celiac ganglion. Splanchnicectomy is the procedure used mainly for the control of intractable visceral pain. Forty-six human posterior thoracic walls were dissected. The formation pattern, course, and incidence of communication of the thoracic splanchnic nerves were investigated. The greater splanchnic nerves (GSNs) were formed by nerve branches from the T4-T11 thoracic sympathetic ganglia and the most common type was formed by T5-T9 (21.7%). The uppermost branches originated from T4-T9 while the lowermost branches emanated from the T7-T11. Two to seven ganglia contributed to the GSNs. In 54.3% of the specimens, at least one ganglion in the GSN-tributary ganglionic array did not branch to the GSN. The lesser splanchnic nerves (LSNs) were formed by the nerve branches of the T8-T12 thoracic sympathetic ganglia and the most common type was formed by T10 and T11 (32.6%). One to five ganglia were involved in the LSNs. The least splanchnic nerves (lSNs) were composed of branches from the T10-L1 thoracic sympathetic ganglia and the most common type was composed of nerve branches from T11 and T12 or from T12 only (each 30.4%). One to three ganglia were involved in the lSNs. In 54.3% of the specimens, interconnection between the GSNs and the LSNs existed, bringing the possible bypass around the transection of the GSNs. The splanchnic nerves that appear in textbooks occurred in a minority of our specimens. We provided expanded anatomical data for splanchnicectomy in this report.