Right vagus nerve (CN X)

Nervus vagus dexter

NervousNervesWhole bodyRight side

View in 3D

What it is
Runs down the right side of the neck in the carotid sheath, crosses in front of the right subclavian artery (looping its recurrent laryngeal nerve under it), descends beside the trachea, passes behind the root of the right lung and spreads over the back of the oesophagus to become the posterior vagal trunk, which reaches the back of the stomach and sends a large branch to the coeliac plexus.
Function
Parasympathetic and sensory supply to the heart (mainly the sinoatrial node), lungs and gut; via the coeliac branch it reaches the liver, pancreas, kidneys and intestine.
Size
About 2-3 mm thick; ~55 cm long
Clinical note
The right vagus mostly innervates the SA node and the left the AV node, so right-sided stimulation slows the heart rate more. Vagus nerve stimulators for epilepsy are implanted on the left to spare the heart.

Contains Right recurrent laryngeal nerve

Nearby nervous structures Accessory nerve (CN XI), Brachial plexus, Cardiac plexus, Left phrenic nerve, Left recurrent laryngeal nerve, Left vagus nerve (CN X), Right phrenic nerve, Spinal cord, Spinal dura mater (dural sac), Sympathetic trunk