Talk:Palatovaginal canal

For 2 hours, I've been trying to figure something out. The statement that the pharyngeal canal supplies the nasal cavity doesn't make sense to me (it supplies the nasal part of the PHARYNX) for several reasons.

1. Look at the diagram (inferior view of skull) given in the article. The pharyngeal canal comes out behind where it says "Choana". The nasopharynx is behind the choana; the nasal cavity is not.

2. Also, the canal comes out WAY behind the hard palate (palatine bone). Part of the floor of the nasal cavity might be made up of soft palate (not shown in diagram because it's not a bone). Does that part of the soft palate REALLY stretch that far back?? (Under the canal.) Most soft palate should be below the nasopharynx. If the canal comes out in the nasal cavity, then the soft palate (nasopharynx included) must go all the way to the foramen magnum or something!

3. (Now forget the diagram.) The pharyngeal canal transports the pharyngeal nerve from the pterygopalatine ganglion (in the pterygopalatine fossa) to the nasopharynx. See the article for the pharyngeal nerve. If the nerve ultimately supplies the nasopharynx, then why does it go into the nasal cavity? If it goes from the nasal cavity to the nasopharynx, then what canal does it take next??

I have a feeling that the problematic statement actually assumes the nasopharynx is part of the nasal cavity, which technically isn't true. Or maybe I'm getting something wrong here. Someone please clear up this confusion!

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