levator veli palatini (muscle)
(redirected from musculus petrostaphylinus)le·va·tor ve·li pa·la·ti·ni (mus·cle)
[TA]muscle of soft palate; origin, apex of petrous portion of temporal bone and lower part of cartilaginous pharyngotympanic (auditory) tube; insertion, aponeurosis of soft palate; action, raises soft palate; through the expansion of its fleshy belly during contraction, it helps to "push" open the auditory tube for equilibration of pressure; nerve supply, pharyngeal plexus (cranial root of accessory nerve).