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| Solar plexus. Combination of parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve fibers |
The solar plexus or celiac is a dense network of nerves surrounding the ventral aorta at the point where they leave the superior mesenteric artery and the celiac artery, at the level of the first lumbar vertebra, behind the stomach. It should especially sympathetic and right vagus nerve. It nerve fibers of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system are combined. The solar plexus contributes to the innervation of intra-abdominal viscera.
The solar plexus consists of a set of nerve ganglia, highly interconnected each other anteriorly to back:
The celiac ganglia, located at the height of the adrenal glands, about 20 mm long, crescent-shaped with two horns. The closer to the midline horn receives the terminal bifurcation of the right vagus nerve, while the side and away from the midline horn receives the greater splanchnic nerve.
The superior mesenteric ganglia are ovoid rather small and are located on the front side of the abdominal aorta.
The nodes are also aorticorrenales ovoid and are located in front of the origin of the renal artery on each side.
Abdominal pain caused by sensitivity of the solar plexus is located at a midpoint between the lower tip of the sternum (xiphoid process called) and the navel.
Blocking the innervation produced by the solar plexus is used quite often for prolonged relief of abdominal pain caused by cancer, especially pancreatic cancer.
(Information and graphic from Wikipedia)
