Tongue
Updates to Article Attributes
The tongue is a complex, principally muscular, structure that extends from the oral cavity to the oropharynx. It has important roles in speech, swallowing and taste.
Gross anatomy
The tongue has a tip, ventral surface, dorsal surface and root. The tongue is made of a midline lingual septum and hypoglossus membrane, and multiple muscles 1,2,4. The muscles are divided into intrinsic and extrinsic muscle groups:
- intrinsic muscles of the tongue which do not have attachments outside the tongue and who's action is to alter the shape of the tongue:
- extrinsic muscles of the tongue (mnemonic) which have attachments outside the tongue and therefore their actions alter the position of the tongue:
The tongue is divided into two parts at the level of the circumvallate papillae 1,3:
- mobile tongue: anterior two-thirds; part of the oral cavity
- includes root of tongue, which is considered separately due to its importance in oropharyngeal cancer
- base of tongue: posterior one-third; fixed; part of the oropharynx
The tongue is covered by a mucosa, which is roughened on the dorsal surface covered by filiform, fungiform and circumvallate papillae. Posteriorly, the base of the tongue contains the lingual tonsils 4.
Blood supply
- arterial supply: lingual artery (principally) but also branches from the facial and ascending pharyngeal arteries 4
- venous drainage: follows arterial supply draining to the
lingullingual, facial and/or internal jugular veins 4
Nerve supply
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII): intrinsic and extrinsic muscles (except palatoglossus muscle, which is supplied by the pharyngeal plexus)
-
lingual nerve
:- sensory supply to the anterior two-thirds
- special sensory (taste) fibres diverge from the lingual nerve and travel with the facial nerve (CN VII) via chorda tympani
-
glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX): sensory supply to posterior
two-thirdsone-third 2
Related pathology
-<li>venous drainage: follows arterial supply draining to the lingul, <a href="/articles/facial-vein">facial</a> and/or <a href="/articles/internal-jugular-vein">internal jugular veins</a> <sup>4</sup>- +<li>venous drainage: follows arterial supply draining to the lingual, facial and/or <a href="/articles/internal-jugular-vein">internal jugular veins</a> <sup>4</sup>
-<a href="/articles/hypoglossal-nerve">hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)</a>: intrinsic and extrinsic muscles (except palatoglossus muscle, which is supplied by the pharyngeal plexus)</li>- +<a href="/articles/hypoglossal-nerve">hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)</a>: intrinsic and extrinsic muscles (except palatoglossus muscle, which is supplied by the <a title="Pharyngeal plexus" href="/articles/pharyngeal-plexus-1">pharyngeal plexus</a>)</li>
-<a href="/articles/lingual-nerve">lingual nerve</a>: sensory supply to the anterior two-thirds<ul><li>special sensory (taste) fibres diverge from the lingual nerve and travel with the <a href="/articles/facial-nerve">facial nerve (CN VII)</a> via <a href="/articles/chorda-tympani">chorda tympani</a>-</li></ul>- +<a href="/articles/lingual-nerve">lingual nerve</a><ul>
- +<li>sensory supply to the anterior two-thirds</li>
- +<li>special sensory (taste) fibres diverge from the lingual nerve and travel with the <a href="/articles/facial-nerve">facial nerve (CN VII)</a> via <a href="/articles/chorda-tympani">chorda tympani</a>
- +</li>
- +</ul>
-<a href="/articles/glossopharyngeal-nerve">glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)</a>: sensory supply to posterior two-thirds <sup>2</sup>- +<a href="/articles/glossopharyngeal-nerve">glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)</a>: sensory supply to posterior one-third <sup>2</sup>