The pharyngeal cavity is generally referred to as the throat, but it extends superiorly to the base of the skull and inferiorly to the esophagus. It has a basement “skeleton” called the pharyngeal aponeurosis, an intermediate layer of muscular tissue, and a surface layer of mucous membrane.
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Specifically, the pharyngeal aponeurosis begins at the occipital tubercle (just anterior to the foramen magnum), petrous part of the temporal bone, Eustachian tube cartilage, and medial pterygoid lamina of the sphenoid. This tube is around 12 cm long in an adult man. The pharynx is roughly 4 cm wide and 2 cm deep. It's at the top of the tube, near the skull. The pharynx then narrows substantially, ending up with a width of just 212 cm and a depth of 0 cm (i.e., the anterior and posterior pharyngeal walls touch each other and do not separate until food or drink passes through on the way to the esophagus).
PHARYNGEAL APONEUROSIS
· Funnel-shaped sheet of connective tissue
· From pharyngeal tubercle of occipital bone, petrous portion of temporal bone, cartilage of ET, and medial pterygoid lamina of sphenoid
· Narrows until it terminates by esophagus
Image source: https://teachmeanatomy.info/neck/viscera/pharynx/
Image source: https://pocketdentistry.com/28-the-pharynx-soft-palate-and-larynx/
Mucous Membrane
· Superficial layer; continuous with mucous membrane of oral cavity, larynx, and esophagus
· Nasopharynx
o Columnar ciliated epithelium
· Oropharynx and laryngopharynx
o stratified squamous cells
PHARYNGEAL MUSCLES
PHARYNGEAL MUSCLES
Muscle:
Inferior constrictor:
Cricopharyngeus
Thyropharyngeus
Origin: thyroid cartilage, cricoid cartilage, inferior cornu of hyoid bone
Insertion: medial pharyngeal raphe and the esophagus
Action: assists in swallowing and vocal resonance by reducing the cross-sectional areas of the pharyngeal lumen in the laryngopharyngeal region (by forward movement of the posterior pharyngeal wall and medial movement of the lateral pharyngeal walls in a sphincter-like fashion)
Muscle:
Middle constrictor:
Ceratopharyngeus
Chondropharyngeus
Origin: greater and lesser cornu of hyoid bone
Insertion: medial pharyngeal raphe; fibers overlap with inferior fibers from the superior constrictor and superior fibers of the inferior constrictor
Action: performs a similar function as the inferior constrictor except the action is confined to the oropharyngeal region
Muscle: palatopharyngeus (pharyngopalatine)
Origin: soft palate, pterygoid hamulus, and the cartilage of the auditory tube
Insertion: superior cornu of the thyroid cartilage and lateral wall of the pharynx
Action: with the velum stabilized, the upper fibers assist the superior constrictor in drawing the lateral pharyngeal walls medially; lower fibers elevate the pharynx and larynx
Muscle: salpingopharyngeus
Origin: inferior border of the medial aspect of the cartilage at the orifice of the auditory tube
Insertion: blends with the fibers of the palatopharyngeus muscle
Action: pulls the lateral walls of the pharynx upward and inward, thereby decreasing the width of the pharynx
Muscle: Stylopharyngeus
Origin: medial side of the base of the styloid process
Insertion: between the superior and middle constrictors
Action: pulls upward on the pharynx and draws the lateral walls even more laterally, thereby increasing the width of the pharynx; pulls upward on the pharynx and larynx
Muscle:
Superior constrictor: Buccopharyngeus Glossopharyngeus Mylopharyngeus Pterygopharyngeus
Origin: medial pterygoid plate, pterygomandibular raphe, mylohyoid line, lateral tongue
Insertion: medial pharyngeal raphe
Action: performs a similar function as the inferior and middle constrictors except the action is confined to the nasopharyngeal region
PHARYNGEAL REGIONS
PHARYNGEAL REGIONS
The pharynx has three parts: nasopharynx, oropharynx, and laryngopharynx. The nasopharynx is superior to the velum and reaches to the choanae. The pharynx has various landmarks. The pharyngeal ostium of the Eustachian (auditory) tube, adenoids, and pharyngeal bursa are examples. The torus tubarius is a ridge in the nasopharynx's lateral walls. The salpingopalatine (anterior section) and salpingopharyngeus (posterior portion) (posterior portion). The Eustachian tube ostium is beneath the curled torus tubarius. The adenoids are positioned above the velum on the posterior pharyngeal wall. The pharyngeal bursa is a vertical mucous membrane groove that extends from the adenoids to the base of the skull.
Image sources:
https://www.earthslab.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/superior-pharyngeal-constrictor-muscle.jpg
https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/stylopharyngeus-muscle
https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/middle-pharyngeal-constrictor
http://www.cambridgequestions.co.uk/DisplayQuestion.aspx?id=288
https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/the-pharynx
REFERENCES:
Fuller, D. R., Pimentel, J. T., & Peregoy, B. M. (2012). Applied anatomy & physiology for speech-language pathology & audiology. Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Health.
Seikel, J. A., Drumright, D. G., & Seikel, P. (2013). Essentials of anatomy & physiology for communication disorders. Delmar Cengage Learning.
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