salpingopharyngeus muscle

Arising from the inferior part of the cartilage of the pharyngotympanic tube within the nasal cavity, salpingopharyngeus passes downward and blends with the posterior fasciculus of palatopharyngeus. During swallowing it raises the pharynx and larynx and draws the pharyngeal walls up laterally. It has a second action of a different kind: it opens the pharyngeal orifice of the pharyngotympanic tube during deglutition, which allows pressure to equalise between the auditory canal and the pharynx. The muscle therefore links pharyngeal elevation with middle ear ventilation in a single contraction. It is innervated by the vagus nerve, cranial nerve X, through the pharyngeal plexus.