According to the study by Peuker and Filler (2002), performed on seven cadavers,
- cymba conchae is exclusively supplied by the ABVN;
- cavity of conchae is supplied by ABVN solely in 45% of cases and by both ABVN and the great auricular nerve (GAN) of the cervical plexus (C1, C2) in 55% of cases ;
- tail of helix and the scapha, the lobule and the antitragus are exclusively supplied by GAN;
- antihelix is supplied by ABVN solely in 73%, exclusively by GAN in 18% and by both ABVN and GAN in 9% ;
- the crura of antihelix are supplied by GAN in 91% and ABVN in 9% ;
- the crus of helix is supplied in 80% by the trigeminal ATN and in 20% by the ABVN;
- the spine of the helix in 91% by ATN and GAN in 9% ;
- at last, tragus is supplied exclusively by GAN in 45%; in 9% by ATN solely and by both in 47%.
It is noteworthy that the external ear is the only place on the surface of the body with afferent vagus nerve distribution that provides, through the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (ABVN), somatic afferents from the ear to the spinal trigeminal nucleus, which, along with the principal trigeminal nucleus, is the main recipient of the trigeminal afferent system. The external ear is also innervated by trigeminal nerve fibres, travelling in the auriculotemporal nerve (ATN), which partially overlap with the vagus territory, as described in detail below.