The lateral wall of nasopharynx shows all of the following structures except:
High-Yield Explanation
The lateral wall presents the following:
(a) The pharyngeal opening of the auditory tube, at the level of the inferior nasal concha and 1.2 cm behind it.
(b) The tubal elevation bounds the tubal opening.
(c) The salpingopharyngeal fold is a vertical fold of mucous membrane running downwards from the posterior margin of the tubal elevation and gradually fading on the side wall of the pharynx. The fold is raised by a slip of muscle, the salpingopharyngeus.
(d) The levator veli palatine, as it enters the soft palate, raises a fold of mucous membrane just below the tubal opening.
(e) Behind the tubal elevation there is a narrow vertical slit that leads into a flat pocket of mucous membrane called the pharyngeal recess or lateral recess, or fossa of Rosenmuller. The recess extends sideways for 1.2 cm or more between the auditory tube and prevertebral muscles, above the upper edge of the superior constrictor.