Pharyngeal Branchial Arches Derivatives Mneomonic

This blog post is going to help you with pharyngeal or branchial arches mnemonics. The five pharyngeal arches mnemonic are given below sequentially as First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Sixth Branchial Arch.

First Pharyngeal Arch

Mnemonics for derivative of 1st Branchial Arch are a compilation of M and T:

M-T

Muscles

2M4T

  • Mastication muscles (Temporalis,Masseter,Pterygoid)
  • Mylohyoid
  • Tensor tympani
  • Tensor veli palatini
  • Tongue- anterior two third
  • digasTric muscle- anterior belly

Skeletal

4M2T

  • Maxilla
  • Malleus + incus
  • Meckel cartilage
  • sphenoMandibular ligament
  • Temporal bone- squamous part
  • zygomaTic

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Nerve

MT

  • Mandibular division of Trigeminal nerve

Artery

  • Maxillary artery

Second Pharyngeal Arch

Mnemonics for derivative of 2nd Branchial Arch can be learned as S and as:-

S

Muscles

  • Stapedius
  • Stylohyoid
  • Smile- muscles of facial expression

BAPP as-

  • Buccinator
  • Auricular muscles
  • Platysma
  • Posterior belly of digastric muscle

Skeletal

  • Stapes
  • Styloid process
  • Stylohyoid ligament
  • lesser cornua and upper half of body of hyoid
  • reichert’s cartilage

Nerve

  • Seventh nerve (facial nerve)

Artery

  • Stapedial artery
  • hyoid artery

Third Pharyngeal Arch

Mnemonics for derivatives of 3rd Branchial Arch are like GlossoPharyngeus, that is, GP:

GP

Muscles

  • styloPharyngeus

Skeletal

  • Greater cornea and lower half of hyoid

Nerve

  • GlossoPharyngeal nerve

Arteries

  • common carotid artery and internal carotid artery

Fourth Pharyngeal Arch

Mnemonics for derivatives of 4th Branchial Arch can be traced back to Thyroid:

Muscle

  • cricoThyroid
  • pharyngeal constrictors
  • levator veli palatini

Skeletal

  • Thyroid cartilage
  • epiglottic cartilage

Nerve

  • superior laryngeal nerve

Artery

  • 4th left- Aortic arch
  • 4th right- Subclavian arch

Sixth Pharyngeal Arch

Mnemonics for derivative of 6th Branchial Arch can be traced back to Larynx as:

Muscles

  • Larynx- all intrinsic muscles except cricothyroid

Skeletal

  • Larynx- all cartilages except thyroid (cricoid, corniculate, cuneiform, and arytenoid)

Nerve

  • Laryngeal nerve- recurrent

Artery

  • 6th left- Pulmonary artery and Ductus arteriosus
  • 6th right- Pulmonary artery

This is a way to learn the derivatives of pharyngeal arches. But it’s always better to understand things than to mug up. Learning nerve supply followed by derivatives is highly recommended because that will make your basics further strong.

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