The palatopharyngeus (palatopharyngeal or pharyngopalatinus) muscle is a small
muscle
Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of muscl ...
in the
roof of the mouth.
It is a long, fleshy fasciculus, narrower in the middle than at either end, forming, with the mucous membrane covering its surface, the
palatopharyngeal arch
The palatopharyngeal arch (pharyngopalatine arch, posterior pillar of fauces) is larger and projects farther toward the middle line than the palatoglossal arch; it runs downward, lateralward, and backward to the side of the pharynx, and is formed b ...
.
Structure
It is separated from the
palatoglossus muscle
The palatoglossus or palatoglossal muscle is a muscle of the soft palate and extrinsic muscle of the tongue. Its surface is covered by oral mucosa and forms the visible palatoglossal arch.
Structure
Palatoglossus arises from the palatine aponeur ...
by an angular interval, in which the
palatine tonsil
Palatine tonsils, commonly called the tonsils and occasionally called the faucial tonsils, are tonsils located on the left and right sides at the back of the throat, which can often be seen as flesh-colored, pinkish lumps. Tonsils only present as ...
is lodged. It arises from the soft palate, where it is divided into two fasciculi by the
levator veli palatini
The levator veli palatini () is the elevator muscle of the soft palate in the human body. It is supplied via the pharyngeal plexus. During swallowing, it contracts, elevating the soft palate to help prevent food from entering the nasopharynx.
...
and
musculus uvulae
The palatine uvula, usually referred to as simply the uvula, is a conic projection from the back edge of the middle of the soft palate, composed of connective tissue containing a number of racemose glands, and some muscular fibers. It also conta ...
.
* The ''posterior fasciculus'' lies in contact with the
mucous membrane
A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It is ...
, and joins with that of the opposite muscle in the middle line.
* The ''anterior fasciculus'', the thicker, lies in the
soft palate
The soft palate (also known as the velum, palatal velum, or muscular palate) is, in mammals, the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is part of the palate of the mouth; the other part is the hard palate. ...
between the
levator and
tensor
In mathematics, a tensor is an algebraic object that describes a multilinear relationship between sets of algebraic objects related to a vector space. Tensors may map between different objects such as vectors, scalars, and even other tenso ...
veli palatini muscles, and joins in the middle line the corresponding part of the opposite muscle.
Passing laterally and downward behind the palatine tonsil, the palatopharyngeus joins the
stylopharyngeus
The stylopharyngeus is a muscle in the head that stretches between the temporal styloid process and the pharynx.
Structure
The stylopharyngeus is a long, slender muscle, cylindrical above, flattened below. It arises from the medial side of the ...
and is inserted with that muscle into the posterior border of the thyroid cartilage, some of its fibers being lost on the side of the
pharynx
The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the oesophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its struc ...
and others passing across the middle line posteriorly to decussate with the muscle of the opposite side.
Innervation
Motor innervation of this muscle is provided through the pharyngeal plexus of the CN X (vagal nerve), SVE (special visceral efferent) fibers.
Function
The
palatine velum
The soft palate (also known as the velum, palatal velum, or muscular palate) is, in mammals, the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is part of the palate of the mouth; the other part is the hard palate. T ...
is slightly raised by the
levator veli palatini
The levator veli palatini () is the elevator muscle of the soft palate in the human body. It is supplied via the pharyngeal plexus. During swallowing, it contracts, elevating the soft palate to help prevent food from entering the nasopharynx.
...
and made tense by the
tensor veli palatini
The tensor veli palatini muscle (tensor palati or tensor muscle of the velum palatinum) is a broad, thin, ribbon-like muscle in the head that tenses the soft palate.
Structure
The tensor veli palatini is found anterior-lateral to the levator ve ...
; the palatopharyngeus muscles, by their contraction, pull the
pharynx
The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the oesophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its struc ...
upward over the
bolus of food and nearly come together, the
uvula
The palatine uvula, usually referred to as simply the uvula, is a conic projection from the back edge of the middle of the soft palate, composed of connective tissue containing a number of racemose glands, and some muscular fibers. It also conta ...
filling up the slight interval between them.
By these means the bolus is prevented from passing into the
nasopharynx
The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the oesophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its struct ...
; at the same time, the palatopharyngeus muscles form an inclined plane, directed obliquely downward and backward, along the under surface of which the bolus descends into the lower part of the pharynx.
Additional images
File:Epiglotic cartilage.jpg, Cadaver dissection
Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause o ...
showing the palatopharyngeus muscle
References
External links
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Muscles of the head and neck