Velopharyngeal Anatomy

Abstract

The velopharyngeal area was studied in seven adult and six fetal heads by gross microscopic dissection, and in one additional fetal head by histologic sectioning and staining. In all cases except one, fibers of the superior constrictor muscle were found to insert into the velum. The salpingopharyngeus muscle was absent bilaterally in six of the 14 heads and was sparse in those heads where it was present. The tensor palatini muscle attached to the lateral membranous wall of the eustachian tube in all cases. The levator palatini muscle always lay lateral to the torus tubarius and inserted into the velum over a broad area extending from the region of the anterior aponeurosis to near the uvula. Speculations regarding muscle function in velopharyngeal closure are presented.