outer ear External or outer ear, consisting of: Pinna or auricle. This is the outside part of the ear. External auditory canal or tube.

What is the name of the foramen that forms the ear canal?

The foramen tympanicum, also known as the foramen of Huschke, is an anatomic variation in the tympanic portion of the temporal (tympanic) bone. When present, it is located at the anteroinferior aspect of the external auditory canal (EAC), posteromedial to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) (1, 2) (Fig 1).

What opens into the external auditory canal?

The pinna or auricle directs sound waves into the external auditory Meatus (EAM), which then funnels sound waves toward the ear drum or tympanic membrane (TM), causing it to displace and move the ossicular chain of bones in the air-filled middle ear.

What is the external auditory meatus for?

the canal that conducts sound through the external ear, from the pinna to the tympanic membrane (eardrum).

What is the external ear?

The external ear consists of the auricle or pinna, external auditory canal, and tympanic membrane. The pinna is composed of elastic cartilage covered by skin. It is subdivided into the helix, antihelix, tragus anteriorly, and lobule inferiorly.

Where does the auditory tube connect?

The eustachian tube (pharyngotympanic tube) connects the middle ear cavity with the nasopharynx. It aerates the middle ear system and clears mucus from the middle ear into the nasopharynx. Opening and closing functions of the eustachian tube are physiologically and pathologically important.

What is the external auditory canal?

external auditory canal, also called external auditory meatus, or external acoustic meatus, passageway that leads from the outside of the head to the tympanic membrane, or eardrum membrane, of each ear. … The canal is nearly 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length and is lined with skin that extends to cover the tympanic membrane.

What is magnum foramen?

The foramen magnum is the largest foramen of the skull. It is located in the most inferior portion of the cranial fossa as a part of the occipital bone. … On the foramen magnum, there are two craniometric points: the basion, the median point of the front edge of the hole, and the opisthion, posterior correspondence.

What does the malleus do?

ear bones. These are the malleus, or hammer, the incus, or anvil, and the stapes, or stirrup. Together they form a short chain that crosses the middle ear and transmits vibrations caused by sound waves from the eardrum membrane to the liquid of the inner ear.

What is fissure of Santorini?

The fissures of Santorini are natural openings within the anterior cartilage in the lateral aspect of the canal that may allow infectious or neoplastic processes to extend from the parotid gland to the canal or the opposite scenario (Fig. 2a, b) [1].

What is Ceruminous?

Medical Definition of ceruminous : relating to or secreting earwax.

What Innervates the external acoustic meatus?

The lateral surface of the tympanic membrane, the external auditory canal, and the external acoustic meatus are all innervated by nervus intermedius (a branch of CN VII), the auriculotemporal nerve (CN V3), and the auricular branch of the vagus nerve.

What is the function of the external auditory meatus quizlet?

HELPS TO COLLECT SOUNDWAVES NEAR THE OPENING OF THE EAR; DIRECTS (RATHER POORLY) SOUNDWAVES INTO THE EXTERNAL AUDITORY CANAL. SOUND WAVES ARE FUNNELED INTO THE CANAL AND AMPLIFIED; NATURAL ACIDITY HELPS TO PROTECT AGAINST INFECTIONS; SECRETES CERUMEN (EAR WAX) TO PROTECT CANAL FROM DRYING OUT; REPELS INSECTS.

What is the function of tympanum?

The tympanic membrane is also called the eardrum. It separates the outer ear from the middle ear. When sound waves reach the tympanic membrane they cause it to vibrate. The vibrations are then transferred to the tiny bones in the middle ear.

What is the function of the auditory tube?

Auditory tube: The tube that runs from the middle ear to the pharynx, also known as the Eustachian tube. The function of this tube is to protect, aerate and drain the middle ear (and mastoid).

What are the 4 structures of the external ear?

What is the ear?

Which are parts of the external ear?

. The medical term for the outer ear is the auricle or pinna. The outer ear is made up of cartilage and skin. There are three different parts to the outer ear; the tragus, helix and the lobule. The ear canal starts at the outer ear and ends at the ear drum.

How is external ear canal Organised?

The external auditory canal consists of two sections, which are separated at the narrowest (isthmus) portion. The inner two-thirds the bony canal is formed by the tympanic bone antero-inferiorly and postero-inferiorly, the squamous temporal bone superiorly, and the mastoid bone posteriorly.

What is the auditory tube?

The Eustachian tube is a small passageway that connects your throat to your middle ear. When you sneeze, swallow, or yawn, your Eustachian tubes open. This keeps air pressure and fluid from building up inside your ear. But sometimes a Eustachian tube might get plugged.

What separates the external ear from the middle ear?

Tympanic membrane (also called the eardrum). The tympanic membrane divides the external ear from the middle ear.

What is the name of the tube that runs from the outside of the ear to the tympanic membrane?

Eustachian tube The Eustachian tube partially originates from the first pharyngeal pouch and extends as tubotympanic recess. After contact with the outer ear canal, mesoderm between 2 canals forms the tympanic membrane; this expands to form the tympanic recess. The stalk of the recess forms the Eustachian tube.

Is the pinna part of the external auditory canal?

Parts of the Outer Ear The outer ear consists of the visible portion on the side of the head, known as the pinna [1], and the external auditory canal (ear canal) [2]. The purpose of the pinna is to catch sound waves, amplify them slightly, and funnel them down the ear canal to the tympanic membrane (eardrum) [3].

What is the external auditory meatus made of?

The external auditory canal is made up of lateral cartilaginous and medial bony components. Infection of the EAC can penetrate inferomedially to the skull base and associated spaces via the fissures of Santorini (gaps in the EAC cartilage).

Is the external auditory meatus part of the temporal bone?

Introduction to temporal bone anatomy It is anatomically divided into four regions called the squamous, mastoid, temporal, and petrous parts. … It contains the external auditory meatus, a canal that leads to the tympanic membrane (eardrum) and bones of the middle ear.

What is intervertebral foramen?

Abstract. The intervertebral foramen serves as the doorway between the spinal canal and periphery. It lies between the pedicles of neighboring vertebrae at all levels in the spine.

What is Stylomastoid foramen?

The stylomastoid foramen is a rounded opening at the inferior end of the facial canal. It is located on the inferior surface of the petrous temporal bone, between the base of the styloid process and the mastoid process of the temporal bone.

What is this foramen name?

These foramina vary in size and number, with age. … Skull.

Bone sphenoid
Cranial fossa middle cranial fossa
Foramina superior orbital fissure
Vessels superior ophthalmic vein
Nerves oculomotor nerve (III) trochlear nerve (IV) lacrimal, frontal and nasociliary branches of ophthalmic nerve (V1) abducent nerve (VI)

Why is malleus called hammer?

The malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and stapes (stirrup) are the three bones, also known as ossicles, of the inner ear. … The malleus is shaped like a hammer, thus its Latin name. It sits in the middle ear between the incus and the eardrum.

What is hammer bone?

Anatomical terms of bone The malleus, or hammer, is a hammer-shaped small bone or ossicle of the middle ear. It connects with the incus, and is attached to the inner surface of the eardrum. The word is Latin for ‘hammer’ or ‘mallet’. It transmits the sound vibrations from the eardrum to the incus (anvil).

What does the malleus and incus do?

The function of the ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes) is to conduct physical auditory waves from the outer ear to the inner ear.