RELATIONSHIP OF TENSOR TYMPANI AND TENSOR PALATI MUSCLES

The tensor tympani and tensor palati muscles are found to be continuous parts of the same muscle group. No previous description of this fact could be found. This work indicates that anatomical discoveries may still be made in the area of the Eustachian tube and the palate. The clinical significance of such studies in elucidating the function and malfunction of the Eustachian tube and soft palate and the relation of these, for example, to cleft palate surgery and serous otitis, are stressed. In addition, rhabdomyosarcoma, which is known to spread along muscle bodies, may find this route into the middle ear from the soft palate. This finding may also explain audible tinnitus in clonus of the tensor palati muscle13,14 and the tensor tympani elicited reflex on swallowing.15 The lesson to be learned from this work is that old descriptions of the anatomy of this area may be incomplete or inaccurate and should be revised. Further dissections are in progress. © 1969, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.