levator veli palatini

Muscle of the soft palate. Origin: -> apex of the petrous portion of the temporal bone & lower part of the cartilagenous pharyngotympanic (auditory) tube Insertion: -> aponeurosis of the soft palate Action: 1) raises the soft palate 2) by expansion of its fleshy belly during contraction, it helps to push open the auditory tube for equilibration of pressure in the inner ear with that of the pharynx Innervation: -> pharyngeal plexus, cranial root of accessory nerve (CN XI)

References

Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999