Pharyngeal raphe
Raphe pharyngis
Definition
The Pharyngeal raphe is a raphe that serves as the origin and insertion for several of the pharyngeal constrictors (thyropharyngeal part of the inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle, Middle pharyngeal constrictor muscle, Superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle).
Two sides of the pharyngeal wall are joined together posteriorly in the midline by the raphe.
Its superior part is attached to the pharyngeal tubercle; it extends inferiorly to the level of vertebrae C6 where it blends with the posterior wall of the esophagus.
References
This definition incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy (20th U.S. edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918 – from http://www.bartleby.com/107/).
