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 m ...

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 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 str ...

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 is slightly raised by the

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 v ...

; the palatopharyngeus muscles, by their contraction, pull the

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 cont ...

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 showing the palatopharyngeus muscle

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Muscles of the head and neck