Quick Facts
Origin: Auditory tube.
Insertion: Lateral pharyngeal wall.
Action: Elevates pharynx.
Innervation: Pharyngeal plexus (CN X).
Arterial Supply: Ascending palatine, greater palatine, and ascending pharyngeal arteries.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The salpingopharyngeus muscle originates from the inferior aspect of the cartilaginous portion of the auditory tube near its opening into the pharynx.
Insertion
The salpingopharyngeus muscle courses inferiorly in the salpingopharyngeal fold and merges with the palatopharyngeus and the superior constrictor muscles (Standring, 2016; Tubbs, Shoja and Loukas, 2016).
Key Features & Anatomical Relations
The salpingopharyngeus muscle aids the tensor veli palatini muscle in opening the auditory tube during swallowing. The prefix is of Greek origin, where “salpingo” refers to a tube or a tube-like structure.
Actions
The salpingopharyngeus muscle is involved in multiple actions:
- elevates the pharynx;
- assists in the opening of the auditory tube (Standring, 2016).
References
Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41st edn.: Elsevier Limited.
Tubbs, R. S., Shoja, M. M. and Loukas, M. (2016) Bergman's Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation. Wiley.
