Sky

The palate is subdivided into hard and soft. The bone base of the solid palate (palatum durum) consists of the palatine processes of the maxillary bones connected to each other, to which horizontal plates of the palatine bones are attached behind.

The soft palate (palatum molle) joins the back edge of the hard palate. The basis of the soft palate is the connective tissue plate (palatine aponeurosis) and the muscles of the soft palate covered from the nasal and oral cavities by the mucous membrane. The anterior part of the soft palate is located in the horizontal plane, the rear, freely hanging edge of the sky is called the palatine curtain (velum palatinum). On the free edge of the palatine curtain there is a rounded out process - the palatine uvula palatina. From the lateral edges of the palatine curtain, two folds (arches) begin. The lingual-tongue arch (Arcus palatoglossus) goes down to the lateral edge of the root of the tongue. The posterior, lingual pharyngeal arch (arcus palatopharyngeus) descends down to the side wall of the pharynx. Between the arcs is an amygdala fossa (fossa tonsillaris). In it is the organ of the immune system - the palatine tonsilla palatina.

In the formation of the soft palate, paired striated muscles participate.

The muscle that strains the palatal curtain (m.tensor veli palatini) begins on the cartilaginous part of the auditory tube, on the spine of the sphenoid bone. Then the muscle goes down, rounds the pterygoid hook, is guided medially and intertwined into the palatine aponeurosis. With contraction, the muscle stretches the palatal curtain and expands the lumen of the auditory tube.

The muscle lifting the palatal curtain (m.levator veli palatini) begins on the front half of the lower surface of the temporal bone pyramid and on the cartilaginous part of the auditory tube. This muscle passes medial to the previous muscle and is intertwined from above into the palatine aponeurosis. With the contraction of this muscle, the soft sky rises.

The muscle of the tongue (m.uvulae) starts on the back of the nasal awn, terminating in the thickness of the mucous membrane of the tongue. With contraction, the muscle raises and shortens the tongue.

The lingual-lingual muscle (m.palatoglossus) starts in the lateral part of the root of the tongue, goes up in the thickness of the eponymous arch and is attached to the palatine aponeurosis. With contraction, the muscle lowers the palatal curtain, reduces the size of the pharynx.

The neo-pharyngeal muscle (m.palatopharyngeus) begins in the thick of the posterior pharyngeal wall and on the posterior edge of the plate of the cricoid cartilage, is intertwined in the palatine aponeurosis. The muscle lowers the palatal curtain, reduces the size of the pharynx.