cervical sympathetic nerve trunk
The cervical ganglia are paravertebral ganglia of the sympathetic nervous system. These emerging postganglionic nerves synapse with preganglionic nerves from the thoracic spinal cord. They consist of three paravertebral ganglia: superior cervical ganglion middle cervical ganglion inferior cervical ganglion. The inferior ganglion may be fused with the first thoracic ganglion to form a single structure, the stellate ganglion. Nerves emerging from cervical sympathetic ganglia contribute to the cardiac plexus, among other things.