Figure 1
From: Impact of Bioelectronic Medicine on the Neural Regulation of Pelvic Visceral Function
Diagram shows the peripheral pathways for afferent innervation of the pelvic viscera in the cat. Neurons in the sacral dorsal root ganglia send axons into the pelvic and pudendal nerves. The pelvic nerves innervate exclusively the viscera, whereas the pudendal nerves innervate visceral as well as somatic structures such as the anal and urethral sphincters and the perineum. Neurons in the lumbar dorsal root ganglia send axons into the lumbar colonic nerve (LCN) and hypogastric nerve (HGN). The latter axons pass through the sympathetic chain ganglia (SCG) and then the inferior splanchnic nerves (ISN) to the inferior mesenteric ganglia (IMG). The HGN passes caudally to join the pelvic nerve.