Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PINNA
External Ear
Auricle - framework of elastic
cartilage covered by skin
Ear canal - about 3,5 cm
long, consists of outer
cartilaginous part and inner
bony part
The cartilaginous part is
curved and lies at an angle
to the bony part, it also
narrows medially - ear drum
is protected from trauma
Tympanic Membrane
(eardrum)
1 umbo;
2 - handle of malleus; (3)
(6) anterior and posterior
malleus folds;
4 - Pars flaccida or
Shrapnell's membrane;
5 - short process of
malleus;
7 pars tensa;
8 light reflex
TYMPANIC CAVITY
It is customary to divide the into three
parts:
the middle and biggest part,
mesotympanum, corresponding to the
pars tensa of the drum
the upper part, epitympanum, lying above
the former and also known as the
epitympanic recess or attic;
the lower part, hypotympanum, lying
below the drum level.
Epitympanum
Lies above the
level of the short
process of the
malleus
Contents:
Head of the
malleus
Body of the incus
Associated
ligaments and
mucosal folds
Mesotympanum
Contents:
Stapes
Long process of the incus
Handle of the malleus
Oval and round windows
Sinus tympani
Lies between the facial nerve and the
medial wall of the mesotympanum
Hypotympanum
Lies inferior and
medial to the
floor of the bony
ear canal
Irregular bony
groove that is
seldom involved
by cholesteatoma
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
TYMPANIC MUSCLES
There are two muscles in the tympanic cavity:
(1) The tensor tympani muscle which stretches
the tympanic membrane. It lies in the bony canal
above the Eustachian tube, and is attached to
the handle of the malleus.
(2) The stapedius muscle which arises from the
posterior wall of the tympanic cavity and is
attached to the head of the stapes by a slender
tendon. The tensor tympani is innervated by a
branch of the trigeminal nerve, and the stapedius
muscle by a branch of the facial nerve.
Medial Wall
MASTOID
PROCESS
VESTIBULE (VESTIBULUM)
The) lies in the centre of the bony labyrinth on whose
external wall is the oval window;
on the opposite, internal wall, there are two recesses for
the two membranous sacs of the vestibule.
The front sac known as the saccule (sacculus)
communicates with the membranous cochlea lying before
the vestibule, while the rear sac or utricle (utriculus) is
connected with the three membranous semicircular
canals passing behind and above the vestibule.
The intercommunicating sacs of the vestibule contain the
statokinetic receptors or maculae acusticae,
otolithic organs made up of a highly-differentiated
specific neuroepithelium covered with a membrane
containing granules of carbonate and phosphorate of
lime, i.e. the otoliths
SEMICIRCULAR CANALS
The are set at right angles to each other and represent the
three planes of space.
They are three in number: the external or horizontal, the
superior or frontal, and the posterior or sagittal. One end
of each canal opens out into a larger space known as
ampulla, the other end is even. The frontal and sagittal
canals have a common even stem (crus commune).
The ampulla of each membranous canal contains a ridge.
the crista ampullaris, which is a receptor, i.e. a nerve
ending consisting ot a highly-differentiated
neuroepithelium or hair and supporting cells.
The free surface of the hair cells is covered with hairs
which respond to the slightest displacement or pressure of
the endolymph.
The receptors of the vestibule and semicircular canals are
the peripheral nerve endings of the vestibular analysator.
COCHLEA
Modiolus the external wall and also turning
round the former, divides the tube lumen into
two directions, the upper or scala vestibuli
and the lower or scala tympani which
communicate at the apex of the cochlea
through a small opening known as the
helicotrema. Both channels are filled with
perilymph. The scala vestibuli communicates
with the vestibule, while the scala tympani
borders on the tympanic cavity through the
round window covered by the secondary tym
panic membrane.
The scala vestibuli of the cochlea contains
the thin Reisner's membrane which extends
from the osseous spirn lamina to cut off a
small membranous canal of trianguli section
filled with endolymph and known as the
cochles duct or ductus cochlearis.
ORGAN OF CORTI
(1) basilar
membrane: (2)
tectorial membrane;
(3), (4) hair cells; (5)
supporting cells; (6)
nerve fibres
reaching hair cells
Mechanism of
Hearing
External ear collects the
sound
Ossicles vibrate in the airfilled environment,
magnifying the sound and
aiming it to the oval
window
The cochlea converts a
mechanical stimulus into
an electrical one
The message is
transported to the brain by
the VIII-th nerve