Learning Modules - Medical Gross Anatomy
Autonomics of the Pelvis - Page 8 of 12

    
Sympathetics reaching the inferior hypogastric plexuses have several options for reaching their final destination. Most of these sympathetics are already postsynaptic, having synapsed within the sympathetic trunk before leaving it. They can proceed directly to their target organ. Sympathetic fibers that haven’t synapsed already will synapse in diffuse ganglion cells (not identifiable ganglia) within the inferior hypogastric plexus or its subsidiary plexuses and then travel on to their target viscera. Parasympathetics do the same, except as you know, they don’t synapse until reaching their target organ, so they simply travel through the inferior hypogastric plexus and its subsidiary plexuses. Subsidiary plexuses (which are really just extensions of the inferior hypogastric plexus) help the autonomics to more easily become distributed to pelvic viscera and as a whole are referred to as the pelvic plexuses. These subsidiary plexuses include the rectal, vesical, and the uterovaginal plexus in the female, and the prostatic plexus in the male.

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