Structure and Origin
- Medial pterygoid nerve is a slender branch of the mandibular nerve (CN V), which is itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve (CN V).
- The medial pterygoid nerve supplies the medial pterygoid muscle, tensor tympani muscle, and tensor veli palatini muscle.
- The tensor tympani muscle and tensor veli palatini muscle are innervated by the medial pterygoid nerve.
- The tensor veli palati muscle is the only one not innervated by the pharyngeal plexus.

Course
- The medial pterygoid nerve passes through the otic ganglion without synapsing.
- It penetrates the deep surface of the medial pterygoid muscle.
- The nerve issues 1-2 twigs to reach and innervate the tensor tympani muscle and tensor veli palatini muscle.
- These twigs traverse the otic ganglion without synapsing.

Distribution
- The medial pterygoid nerve supplies the medial pterygoid muscle.
- The medial pterygoid nerve supplies the tensor tympani muscle.
- The medial pterygoid nerve supplies the tensor veli palatini muscle.
- The tensor veli palati muscle is innervated by the nerve to tensor veli palatini.
- The tensor veli palati muscle is the only one not innervated by the pharyngeal plexus.

References
- Standring, Susan (2020). Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice (42nd ed.). New York. p. 680. ISBN 978-0-7020-7707-4. OCLC 1201341621.
- Barral, Jean-Pierre; Croibier, Alain (2009). 17 - Mandibular nerve. Manual Therapy for the Cranial Nerves. Churchill Livingstone. pp. 139–146. doi:10.1016/B978-0-7020-3100-7.50020-3. ISBN 978-0-7020-3100-7.

Summary
- The medial pterygoid nerve is a branch of the mandibular nerve, which is part of the trigeminal nerve.
- It supplies the medial pterygoid muscle, tensor tympani muscle, and tensor veli palatini muscle.
- The tensor tympani muscle and tensor veli palatini muscle are innervated by the medial pterygoid nerve.
- The tensor veli palati muscle is the only one not innervated by the pharyngeal plexus.
- The nerve passes through the otic ganglion without synapsing and issues twigs to reach its target muscles.

Medial pterygoid nerve (Wikipedia)

Not to be confused with lateral pterygoid nerve.

The medial pterygoid nerve (nerve to medial pterygoid, or internal pterygoid nerve^{[citation needed]}) is a nerve of the head. It is a branch of the mandibular nerve (CN V₃). It supplies the medial pterygoid muscle, the tensor veli palatini muscle, and the tensor tympani muscle.

Medial pterygoid nerve
Mandibular division of the trigeminus nerve. (Internal pterygoid nerve visible but not labeled.)
Mandibular division of trifacial nerve, seen from the middle line. Nerve to medial pterygoid labeled at bottom.
Details
From	Mandibular nerve
Innervates	Medial pterygoid, tensor veli palatini, tensor tympani
Identifiers
Latin	nervus pterygoideus internus, nervus pterygoideus medialis
TA98	A14.2.01.066
TA2	6250
FMA	53056
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [edit on Wikidata]