Uvula

Last revised by Joshua Yap on 10 Oct 2022

The uvula is a small, conical, pendulous process projected inferiorly from the midline posterior margin of the soft palate. It is primarily formed from the insertions of the two muscles of the uvula and their covering mucosa.

  • location: posterior midline soft palate

  • blood supply: from ascending palatine and pharyngeal arteries

  • innervation: sensory from the lesser palatine nerve (CN Vb)

The uvula is supplied by branches of the arteries that supply the soft palate:

The function of the uvula is to contribute to palatopharyngeal closure as part of deglutition 4.

Uvula is Latin for "little grape" and is the diminutive form of the Latin word "uva" meaning grape 3.

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