Anococcygeal nerve
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Travis Fahrenhorst-Jones had no recorded disclosures.
View Travis Fahrenhorst-Jones's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Jeremy Jones had no recorded disclosures.
View Jeremy Jones's current disclosuresThe anococcygeal nerve is the terminal branch of the coccygeal plexus and is described as supplying the skin of the post anal region.
Gross anatomy
Origin
The anococcygeal nerve originates from the coccygeal plexus 2.
Course
The course of the anococcygeal nerve varies according to source in the literature.
On one hand it is stated that the anococcygeal nerve pierces the coccygeus muscle and travels through the sacrospinous ligament before finally terminating in the post anal region; passing inferior to the sacrotuberous ligament 4. Other sources state that the anococcygeal nerve actually pierces the sacrotuberous ligament or even describe the nerve as piercing the anococcygeal ligament prior to termination 2,5.
Supply
The anococcygeal nerve of the coccygeal plexus has a variable description of supply 4. Typically the nerve is described as supplying the post anal skin between the tip of the coccyx and the anus 1. The nerve is also described in other sources as supplying the coccygeus muscle, part of the levator ani, the posterior extremity of the external anal sphincter, and the sacrococcygeal joint 2,3.
Variant anatomy
The number of anococcygeal nerves can vary between one and three 4.
References
- 1. Chummy S. Sinnatamby. Last's Anatomy e-Book. (2011) ISBN: 9780702048395
- 2. Keith L. Moore, Anne M. R. Agur, Arthur F. Dalley, II. Clinically Oriented Anatomy. (2017) ISBN: 9781496347213
- 3. Woon JT, Stringer MD. Clinical anatomy of the coccyx: A systematic review. (2012) Clinical anatomy (New York, N.Y.). 25 (2): 158-67. doi:10.1002/ca.21216 - Pubmed
- 4. Woon JT, Stringer MD. Redefining the coccygeal plexus. (2014) Clinical anatomy (New York, N.Y.). 27 (2): 254-60. doi:10.1002/ca.22242 - Pubmed
- 5. Wooten C. Anatomy of the Coccygeal Plexus. In: Shane Tubbs, Elias Rizk, Mohammadali M. Shoja, Marios Loukas, Nicholas Barbaro, Robert J. Spinner. Nerves and Nerve Injuries. Academic Press. (2015). doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-410390-0.00051-2
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