Description and surgical removal of the cranial cervical ganglia in 3- to 5-day-old chicks.
The cranial cervical sympathetic ganglion (CCG) provides the primary innervation of the pineal gland in several gallinaceous species. The CCG is located at the base of the skull near the exoccipital bone, dorsal to the level of the vagus and glossopharyngeal nerves. It occupies a much larger volume and appears pinkish-gray, instead of white, when compared to the petrosal ganglion. To surgically remove the CCG, chicks were anesthetized with halothane vapor. Following a small skin incision, blunt dissection was used to expose the CCG lying adjacent to the internal carotid. The ganglion was grasped with small forceps and pinched free of its fine neural connections to adjacent nerves. The success of the surgery was confirmed visually and by complete adrenergic dennervation of the pineal gland. The entire surgical procedure required approximately 20 min per bird. Mortality was less than 20% overall.