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Medical Definition of Gray rami communicantes
1. Short nerves arising from the lateral aspect of the sympathetic trunk conducting nonmyelinated postsynaptic sympathetic nerve fibres from the sympathetic trunk to the initial portions of all 31 pairs of ventral primary rami of spinal nerves for distribution by all parts (including the dorsal primary ramus) of the spinal nerve. The gray rami are the parietal branches of the sympathetic trunks since all postsynaptic fibres to be distributed to the body wall (including limbs) must pass through them. Synonym: communicating branches of sympathetic trunk, communicating rami of sympathetic trunk. (05 Mar 2000)