Palatopharyngeus is one of the longitudinal pharyngeal muscles. It has fibres arising from both the soft and hard palate which pass inferiorly posterior to the palatine tonsils and insert into the thyroid cartilage and pharyngeal fibrous tissue.
The muscle is easily visible covered with mucosa in the oral cavity as the palatopharyngeal arch posterior to the palatine tonsil and palatoglossus.
Palatopharyngeus is supplied by the cranial accessory nerve via the pharyngeal plexus.
On contraction the muscle elevates and shortens the pharynx. Unlike the pharyngeal constrictors palatopharyngeus does not constrict the pharynx.
Blood supply to palatopharyngeus is via three separate branches of the external carotid artery: facial, maxillary and ascending pharyngeal branches.
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