Anatomy of Ear

External Auricle (pinna)  elastic cartilage- covered by skin

ear  Rim of auricle- helix
 Inferior portion- lobule

External  From deepest part of concha to membrane tympanic

auditory canal (eardrum)- 1 inch (2.5 cm)
 Covered with skin, contains hair, sweat glands- cerumen
(earwax)
 Examination: pulling superiorly, posteriorly, slightly laterally
 Nerve supply
 Roof & ant wall- Auriculotemporal nerve
 Floor & post wall- Auricular branch of vagus

Temporal bone  Squamous Part: 2 surfaces- Temporal, Internal (Cerebral)

 Zygomatic process
 Mandibular Fossa: forms TemporoMandibular Joint
 Petrous Part: contains Middle & Internal ear
 Mastoid Process: posteriorly placed, mastoid air cells.
 Tympanic plate: curved thin plate below, holding external
auditory canal
 Styloid Process: attachment to Stylohyoid, Styloglossus,
Stylopharyngeus muscles & Stylohyoid ligament
 Tympanic  Epitympanum: Above tympanic membrane; Head of malleus,
membrane body, short process of incus
(eardrum)  Mesotympanum (Opposite tympanic membrane): 6 walls—
Roof, floor Ant & post, Medial &lateral walls

Middle Roof  Tegmen tympani (petrous temporal bone)

ear  Infection spread from middle ear to middle cranial fossa and
temporal lobe- children— tegmen tympani is still
cartilaginous.
Floor

Posterior  Above: opening for mastoid antrum (aditus mastoid antrum)

 Fossa incudis: ligament to short process of incus
 Below: vertical bony canal for facial nerve
 Pyramidal eminence- upper part of facial canal (Tendon of
stapedius passes through opening in apex of pyramidal
eminence)
 Infection- pass to and fro between middle ear and mastoid
antrum
Anterior

Medial  Promontory: first turn of the cochlea of inner ear

 Tympanic plexus (9th CN) ramifies on promontory
 Fenestra Vestibuli (Oval window): Closed by foot plate of
stapes & annular ligament
 Fenestra cochleae (Round window): Closed by secondary
tympanic membrane
 Antero- posterior ridge: oblique part of facial nerve canal
Lateral  Epitympanic recess- head of malleus, body of incus

 Attaches to temporal bone via fibrocartilaginous ring- 55

degrees with the floor of external acoustic meatus
 Thin, oval, semi-transparent membrane- separate external ear
and middle ear
 3 layers: external layer (skin), middle layer (connective
tissue), internal layer (mucous membrane)
 Chorda tympani nerve- passes between middle & inner layer
 Umbo: point of maximum convexity
  Ant, post malleolar folds: from umbo- inner surface of
eardrum
 Handle of Malleus- attached to umbo
 Tympanic membrane moves- response to air vibration from
external ear (movements transmitted by ossicles to internal
ear)
 Nerve: Lateral surface (auriculo-temporal nerve), medial
surface (9th CN)
Auditory tube  Connects middle ear cavity – nasopharynx
Eustachian  Structure: upper 1/3 (bony), lower 2/3 (cartilaginous- elastic cartilage)
tube/  Direction: forward, downward & medially (In children- shorter, more horizontal)
Pharyngo  Normally closed- opens reflex (contraction of tensor & levator veli palatini, salpingopharyngeous muscles) during yawning, swallowing
tympanic tube  Equalizes air pressure with atmosphere
Pharyngeal Infection can spread along >> middle ear
Contents of Malleus Incus Stapes
middle ear  Head: epitympanic  Body & short process:  Head articulates with incus
recess – articulates with epitympanic recess  Stapedius muscle attached to neck
incus  Body articulates- head  Base closes oval window
 Handle: middle layer of of the malleus  Otosclerosis- Abnormal ossification at margin of the oval window & base of stepes 
tympanic membrane  Tip of long process- conductive deafness
 Tensor tympani: head of stapes
attached to handle
Muscles Tensor tympani muscle
 runs in a canal along the roof of the Eustachian tube
 tendon attaches to handle of malleus
 supplied- mandibular branch of trigeminal nerve
 from catilagenous part of the auditory tube

Stapedius muscle- smallest skeleton muscle

 Nerve supply: branch of facial- Attach with stapes.
 From pyramidal eminence
 Insertion- neck of stapes
 simultaneously contraction (reflex)- loud sound, tense
tympanic membrane  damping effect
 minimize intensity of sound reducing damage to internal ear.
 Paralysis – hyperacusis : whisper is heard as a loud sound
 Contractions reflex- initiated by loud sounds pulls stapes
posteriorly, tilting its footplate
 Limits potential damage caused by loud noise.

Inner ear Cochlear duct

3 Semicircular Semicircular canals + Utricle, Saccule – VESTIBULAR COMPLEX
canals (Anterior, Posterior & lateral)- receptors for Dynamic Equilibrium
 COCHLEA- hearing
Vestibule — receptors for static equilibrium
utricle &
saccule
Pathway of  Sound waves (directed by auricle to the external auditory
sound travel meatus)
 Transmitted along external auditory meatus to tympanic
membrane
 Vibrations of tympanic membrane transmitted along ossicles
 Oval window
 Vibrations transmitted to the spiral organ of corti
 Impulses go to the auditory area of cerebral cortex through
cochlear fibers of 8th cranial nerve