Stylopharyngeus muscle
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| Stylopharyngeus muscle | ||
|---|---|---|
| Muscles of the pharynx and cheek. (Stylopharyngeus visible at center left.) | ||
| Extrinsic muscles of the tongue. Left side. | ||
| Latin | musculus stylopharyngeus | |
| Gray's | subject #244 1143 | |
| Origin: | styloid process | |
| Insertion: | thyroid cartilage | |
| Blood: | ||
| Nerve: | glossopharyngeal nerve | |
| Action: | ||
| MeSH | A02.633.567.800 | |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | m_22/12550987 | |
The stylopharyngeus is a muscle in the head that stretches between the styloid process and the pharynx.
Contents |
[edit] Structure
The stylopharyngeus is a long, slender muscle, cylindrical above, flattened below. It arises from the medial side of the base of the styloid process, passes downward along the side of the pharynx between the superior pharyngeal constrictor and the middle pharyngeal constrictor, and spreads out beneath the mucous membrane.
Some of its fibers are lost in the constrictor muscles, while others, joining with the palatopharyngeus muscle, are inserted into the posterior border of the thyroid cartilage.
The glossopharyngeal nerve runs on the lateral side of this muscle, and crosses over it to reach the tongue.
[edit] Innervation
This muscle is innervated by the ninth cranial nerve, the glossopharyngeal nerve.
[edit] Actions
The stylopharyngeus:
- elevates the larynx
- elevates the pharynx
- dilates the pharynx to permit the passage of a large food bolus, so facilitating swallowing
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
