The nerve constituting the parasympathetic and sympathetic root of the pterygopalatine ganglion; it is formed in the region of the foramen lacerum by the union of the greater superficial petrosal and the deep petrosal nerves, and runs through the pterygoid canal to the pterygopalatine fossa.
Synonym: nervus canalis pterygoidei, radix facialis, facial root, vidian nerve.
(05 Mar 2000)