Muscular anatomy of the tonsil and tonsillar bed: a reexamination

A study was designed to investigate the muscular relations to the tonsil and tonsillar bed in man. Twenty-one histologically prepared human fetal specimens were examined. Muscle bundles from the palatopharyngeus and stylopharyngeus muscles and the amygdaloglossus muscle were found to relate to the tonsillar capsule in such a way as to suggest that during swallow, the tonsils may be moved laterally to permit a wide and unobstructed pharyngeal port.