Superior Pharyngeal Constrictor

Origin

The superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle is the thinnest of the pharyngeal constrictors and is roughly quadrilateral. It originates from the pterygoid hamulus of the sphenoid bone, the posterior aspect of the pterygomandibular raphe, the mylohyoid line of the mandible, and the lateral aspect of the tongue (Standring, 2016; Tubbs, Shoja and Loukas, 2016).

Insertion

The muscle fibers of the superior pharyngeal constrictor pass posteriorly into the median pharyngeal raphe, which is attached to the pharyngeal tubercle on the basilar portion of the occipital bone (Standring, 2016; Tubbs, Shoja and Loukas, 2016).

Key Features & Anatomical Relations

The three pharyngeal constrictor muscles overlap whereby the lower border of the superior constrictor sits deep to the middle constrictor and, in turn, the lower border of the middle constrictor sits deep to the inferior constrictor muscle (i.e., like a stack of cups).

Superiorly, the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle is separated from the skull by a space containing the levator veli palatini muscle and the auditory tube. Anteriorly, it lies adjacent to the buccinator muscle, but is separated from it by the pterygomandibular raphe.

Inferiorly, the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle merges with the middle pharyngeal constrictor muscle. The glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX) sits between these two muscular layers.

Actions

The superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle constricts the upper part of the pharynx during swallowing.

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.