Unit 4 - the pharynx

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Pharyngeal aponeurosis
- Back wall of throat
- Extends from base of skull to behind the cricoid cartilage of the larynx
Pharyngeal constrictors
- Sets of muscles that blend into pharyngeal aponeurosis which constrict or narrow the pharynx
- Origin: lateral areas of the pharynx
- Insertion: medial raphe
Inferior constrictor
- thickest and strongest
- arises from area of cricoid and thyroid cartilages
- overlaps with the middle constrictor
Middle constrictor

originates from area of hyoid and overlaps with superior constrictor
Superior constrictor
- weakest of three
- arises from area of pterygoid plates
- superior most fibers forms a subgroup called prerygophyaryngeus
Salpingopharyngeus
- Origin: bottom of the Eustachian tube, belnding into the palatopharyngeus
- Action: life the pharyngeal wall
Actions to achieve velopharyngeal closiure
- Occurs when speaking and swallowing
- Velum moves up and back (levator veli palatini)
- Posterior pharyngeal wall moves forward to meet the velum (superior contrictor with the pterygopharyneus = Passavant's Pad)
- Laterak walls move medially to create a fairly complete seal (superior contrictor)