The upper pharyngeal constrictor ( lat. Musculus constrictor pharyngis superior ) - muscle - compressor of the human pharynx . In addition to the upper constrictor, there are other pharyngeal compressors: the lower and middle pharyngeal constrictors and muscles - pharyngeal elevators: stylo -pharyngeal and tube-pharyngeal .
| Upper Throat Constrictor | |
|---|---|
| lat musculus constrictor pharyngis superior | |
 The arrow indicates the upper constrictor of the pharynx | |
 Throat muscle | |
| Blood supply | ascending pharyngeal artery and amygdala branch of the facial artery |
| Innervation | pharyngeal plexus of the vagus nerve |
| Catalogs | |
| |
General information
The superior pharyngeal constrictor is a striated , arbitrary muscle (that is, it can be controlled by consciousness). It consists of four parts:
- pterygo-pharyngeal ( lat. pars pterygopharyngea ) (starts from the hook and the posterior edge of the medial plate of the pterygoid process);
- buccal pharyngeal ( lat. pars buccopharyngea ) (starts from the pterygo-mandibular suture, lat. raphe pterygomandibulare );
- maxillofacial ( Latin pars mylopharyngea ) (starts from the posterior end of the maxillary hyoid line ( Latin linea mylohyoidea mandibulae ) of the lower jaw );
- glossopharyngeal ( lat. pars glossopharyngea ) (starts from the root of the tongue).
It has the shape of a quadrangular plate. The muscle bundles of the superior pharyngeal constrictor go horizontally along the lateral wall of the pharynx to the posterior wall and are connected to the muscle bundles of the opposite side in the suture of the pharynx.
Function
The main function of the upper pharyngeal constrictor is to narrow the lumen of the pharynx (together with the middle and lower constrictors). When a bolus (food lump or fluid) enters the pharynx, the longitudinal muscle-lifters raise the throat up, and the pharyngeal constrictors contract sequentially from the upper constrictor to the lower, as a result of which the food lump is pushed towards the esophagus.
See also
- Lower pharyngeal constrictor
- Middle pharyngeal constrictor