Skip to practical collection
MEDIVEERSETHE PRACTICAL HUB
Back to AnatomyMBBS + BDS / Head & Neck · 108 / 171
ANATOMY / REFERENCE GALLERY1 / 2 references
Stylopharyngeus muscle: magnified reference view with a numbered learning marker. The complete original plate is available in the next view.
300%
1
Stylopharyngeus muscle

Longitudinal muscle from styloid process. Descends between superior and middle constrictors. Elevates pharynx during swallowing.

Zoom in, then drag to inspect. Keyboard: + / − to zoom, arrows to pan, 0 to reset. Tap the numbered markers to explore parts.

Stylopharyngeus muscle: magnified reference view with a numbered learning marker. The complete original plate is available in the next view.

Image: Gray’s Anatomy (1918); illustrator attribution on original plate · Source / original · Public domain

Numbered markers and focused views are Mediveerse learning overlays; the original reference is linked above.

Stylopharyngeus muscle

Pharynx & palate

Stylopharyngeus muscle

STRUCTURE & FUNCTION

Understand what you see.

Elevates and widens the pharynx during swallowing.

Zoom into the original labels. Practise pointing out each structure, then explain it aloud. Diagrams are teaching references; specimen appearance and slide staining vary.

01 / IDENTIFICATION

How to recognise it.

  1. Longitudinal muscle from styloid process
  2. Descends between superior and middle constrictors
  3. Elevates pharynx during swallowing
02 / KEY STRUCTURES

Point them out.

Tap a number to open its reference, zoom in and locate the structure. Numbers stay the same across views. This key follows landmarks visible in the reference images.

Related features & study points (3)

Additional relations, attachments or microscopic details to revise alongside this plate. These are separate from its numbered image landmarks.

  • Styloid origin
  • Constrictor interval
  • Pharyngeal insertion
03 / VIVA PRACTICE

Think first. Then reveal.

Say your answer aloud before opening the suggested response.

Examiner-style prompts: identify the structure, explain its relations, then answer the applied follow-up. These are revision questions, not authenticated past papers.

01Identify stylopharyngeus muscle and give its main role.
SUGGESTED ANSWER

Longitudinal muscle from styloid process. Descends between superior and middle constrictors. Elevates pharynx during swallowing. Elevates and widens the pharynx during swallowing.

02What is its distinctive nerve supply?
SUGGESTED ANSWER

Glossopharyngeal IX; it is the standard exception to vagal supply of most pharyngeal muscles.

03Through which interval does it enter the pharyngeal wall?
SUGGESTED ANSWER

Between superior and middle constrictors, accompanied by glossopharyngeal relations.

04Point out three important relations and explain their significance.
SUGGESTED ANSWER

Styloid origin; Constrictor interval; Pharyngeal insertion. Elevates and widens the pharynx during swallowing. Use the reference plate to locate the region; the relationship map organises the associations and is not drawn to scale.

Read the references.

Credited anatomical plates, microscopy and university teaching references. Individual image credits appear below the viewer. Historical plates can use older terminology; use the lesson text for current names.