Intermediate Celiac Plexus Quiz

Q1. What happens to many preganglionic sympathetic fibers arriving through the greater thoracic splanchnic nerves?

• They synapse in the celiac ganglia
• They become somatic motor fibers
• They synapse in dorsal root ganglia
• They terminate only in the spinal cord

Q2. What is the relationship of the celiac plexus to the diaphragmatic crura?

• It lies within the lesser omentum only
• It lies within the rectus sheath anterior to rectus abdominis
• It lies inside the femoral sheath
• It lies near the celiac trunk in close relation to the diaphragmatic crura

Q3. Which vagal component commonly contributes parasympathetic fibers to the celiac plexus?

• Celiac branch of the posterior vagal trunk
• Anterior ramus of L1
• Femoral branch of the genitofemoral nerve
• Greater occipital nerve

Q4. Why can sympathetic fibers from the celiac ganglia reach several different foregut organs?

• They follow periarterial plexuses along celiac trunk branches
• They travel only through somatic spinal nerves
• They remain confined inside the celiac ganglia
• They enter the organs through the inguinal canal

Q5. Which neighboring autonomic network is closely connected with the celiac plexus near the renal artery origins?

• Aorticorenal plexus
• Sacral somatic plexus
• Cervical plexus
• Brachial plexus

Q6. Which neighboring plexus continues autonomic distribution toward the midgut along the superior mesenteric artery?

• Pudendal plexus
• Lumbar somatic plexus
• Brachial plexus
• Superior mesenteric plexus

Q7. How do many upper abdominal visceral pain afferents reach the spinal cord from the celiac plexus region?

• They terminate permanently in the celiac ganglia
• They travel with sympathetic pathways toward thoracic spinal levels
• They travel only in somatic motor nerves
• They travel exclusively through pelvic splanchnic nerves

Q8. What is the general gastrointestinal effect of sympathetic output distributed through the celiac plexus?

• Voluntary contraction of the stomach
• Marked generalized increase in peristalsis
• Reduced motility and secretion
• No effect on visceral function

Q9. What is the functional role of vagal fibers passing through the celiac plexus?

• They are postganglionic sympathetic fibers
• They supply skeletal muscle of the abdominal wall
• They carry preganglionic parasympathetic input toward target organs
• They terminate in the celiac ganglia as their normal parasympathetic synapse

Q10. Why is the celiac plexus described as a mixed autonomic plexus even though the celiac ganglia are sympathetic?

• The plexus contains only somatic sensory fibers
• The celiac ganglia are parasympathetic ganglia
• Every fiber in the plexus is sympathetic postganglionic
• The plexus contains sympathetic, parasympathetic, and visceral afferent fibers