Click image to view full screen
There are three principle muscles which comprise the muscular layer of the pharynx. They are the (Figure 31.2):
- superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle
- middle pharyngeal constrictor muscle
- inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle
These muscles attach anterolaterally to the skull, hyoid bone or laryngeal cartilages, and insert posteriorly into a fibrous median septum, called the pharyngeal raphe. The raphe is located in the midline on the posterior wall of the pharynx and attaches superiorly to the pharyngeal tubercle of the occipital bone. The three constrictor muscles "fit" together like three stacked cups.
Links and References:
Grant's: 8.57
Netter: 61
Rohen/Yokochi: 161