Anatomy and Physiology of the Ear Flashcards

1
Q

Parts of the ear

A

External
Middle
Inner

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2
Q

What makes up the external ear?

A

Pinna / auricle

External auditory canal

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3
Q

What epithelium is on the pinna?

A

Stratified keratinised epithelium - skin

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4
Q

What is the pinna made up from?

A

Elastic cartilage

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5
Q

How long is the external ear canal in adults?

A

4cm

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6
Q

What is the later 1/3rd of the external ear canal made up from?

A

Skin and cartilage

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7
Q

What does the skin of the external ear canal contain? What is the function of this?

A

Cerminous and sebaceous gland. They produce wax

Thick hairs on the outside, becoming thinner on the inside

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8
Q

Function of the external ear canal

A

Protective barrier

Disinfectant

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9
Q

What is the medial 1/3rd of the ear made up from?

A

Skin and bone

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10
Q

Does the medial 1/3rd of the ear produce wax?

A

No

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11
Q

Does the medial 1/3rd of the ear have hairs or cilia?

A

No

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12
Q

What is a feature of the growth of the skin of the external ear canal?

A

Constantly being shed and renewed
Grows from the umbo of the tympanic membrane outwards
Shed in the lateral 1/3rd of ear canal and trapped in wax as part of a cleaning mechanism

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13
Q

Is the human pinna good at sound localisation?

A

No

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14
Q

What are the 3 layers of the tympanic membrane?

A

Outer layer
- continuous with skin of EAC
Middle fibrous layer
Inner layer of respiratory epithelium

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15
Q

What is the inner layer of respiratory epithelium?

A

Ciliated columnar epithelium with goblet cells

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16
Q

What is the diameter of the tympanic membrane?

A

1cm

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17
Q

How thick is the tympanic membrane?

A

1/10th of a millimetre

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18
Q

Function of the ossicles

A

Conduct sound waves from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear

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19
Q

What can cause disruption to the sound conduction via the ossicles?

A

Trauma

Bony sclerosis

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20
Q

What is the middle ear lined with?

A

Continous respiratory epithelium that forms the inner layer of the tympanic membrane

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21
Q

Can the middle ear produce mucus? What is the clinical relevance of this?

A

Yes

Glue ear

22
Q

How does the middle ear connect to the mastoid system?

A

Aditus

23
Q

How does the middle ear connect to the nasopharynx?

A

Eustachian tube

24
Q

What are the order of the ossicles from tympanic membrane to the oval window, and what is a pneumonic to remember this?

A

Malleus
Incus
Stapes

MIS

25
Q

What nerve is found in the middle ear?

A

Chorda tympani (facial nerve)

26
Q

What are the most important relations of the middle ear?

A

Middle cranial fossa
Internal carotid artery
Sigmoid sinus and internal jugular vein

27
Q

What are the 6 segments of the facial nerve?

A
Intracranial 
Meatal (internal auditory meatus)
Labyrinthine
Tympanic 
Mastoid
Extratemporal
28
Q

What cranial nerve is the facial nerve?

A

CN VII

29
Q

Definition of otitis media

A

Infection of the middle ear that causes inflammation and a build up of fluid behind the eardrum

30
Q

Definition of cholesteatoma

A

An uncommon abnormal condition of keratinised squamous epithelium in the wrong place - can grow and become destructive

31
Q

What makes up the inner ear?

A

Bony and membranous labyrinths
Chochlea
Peripheral vestibular apparatus
Vestibulocochlear nerve

32
Q

What do the membranous labrinths of the inner ear contain?

A

Fluid

  • perilymph
  • endolymph
33
Q

What is the cochlea?

A

The organ of hearing

34
Q

What are the peripheral vestibular apparatus?

A

Utricle
Saccule
Semi-circular canals

35
Q

What cranial nerve is the vestibulocochlear nerve?

A

CN VIII

36
Q

Function of the middle ear

A

Transduce vibration into nervous impulses

37
Q

What vibrates into the oval window?

A

Stapes

38
Q

What are responsible for detecting head rotation?

A

Semi circular canals

39
Q

What is the vestibulo-ocular reflex?

A

Able to fix your vision on an object even when your head is moving

40
Q

What does the saccule detect?

A

Linear acceleration in a vertical plane

41
Q

What does the utricle detect?

A

Linear acceleration in a horizontal plane

42
Q

What provides sensory innervation to the middle ear?

A

Tympanic branch of glossopharyngeal nerve

43
Q

What provides sensation to the posterior half of the external ear canal?

A

Auricular branch of vagus nerve

44
Q

What provides sensation to the anterior half of external auditory canal?

A

Facial nerve

45
Q

What provides sensation to the pinna?

A

Mandibular branch of trigeminal nerve

46
Q

What symptom is worrying in the absence of obvious ear cause?

A

Otalgia

47
Q

Definition of otalgia

A

Ear ache

48
Q

What makes up the external ear?

A

Pinna

External auditory canal

49
Q

What makes up the middle ear?

A

Tympanic membrane

Ossicles

50
Q

Parts of the tympanic membrane

A

Crus of the incus
Light cone
Manubrium of the malleolus
Umbo of the malleolus

51
Q

What drugs taken in high doses can cause tinnitus?

A

Aspirin

NSAIDs