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Superior pharyngeal constrictor: anatomy, location and function

The uppermost of the three constrictors forming the pharyngeal wall. Constricts the upper pharynx during swallowing.

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Highlighted in the model: Superior pharyngeal constrictor. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Superior pharyngeal constrictor at a glance

What it is
The uppermost of the three constrictors forming the pharyngeal wall.
Location
Originates from the pterygoid hamulus, pterygomandibular raphe, mylohyoid line of the mandible and side of the tongue, and inserts onto the median pharyngeal raphe and pharyngeal tubercle.
Function
Constricts the upper pharynx during swallowing.
Body system
Muscular · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA46632 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Innervation: pharyngeal plexus (vagus nerve, CN X)
  • The gap above its upper border is closed by pharyngobasilar fascia, through which the auditory tube and levator veli palatini enter the pharynx.
  • The palatine tonsil lies on its inner surface, in the tonsillar bed.

Structures next to the superior pharyngeal constrictor

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Superior pharyngeal constrictor (FMA46632). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §11.2 Naming Skeletal Muscles. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.