Anatomy Of The Ear Flashcards
Signs and symptoms of ear disease
- hearing loss
- tinnitus
- vertigo
- otorrhoea
- otalgia
- facial droop : rare complication of disease involving middle ear
What is tinnitus?
Sounds perceived but do not come from external source such as ringing, humming, whistling
What two things is the ear an organ of?
Hearing
Balance
What is otalgia?
Ear pain
What is otorrhoea?
Discharge from the ear
Describe the external ear region
- pinna + external auditory meatus (ear canal)
- skin-lined (keratinised squamous epithelium)
- extends as far as lateral surface of tympanic membrane
What is the external auditory meatus?
Ear canal
What is the boundary between the external and middle ear regions?
Tympanic membrane
Describe the middle ear region
- air filled cavity
- ossicles (malleus, inus + stapes)
- lined with respiratory epithelium (ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium)
- connected to nasopharynx via pharyngotympanic tube
What is the external ear region lined with?
Skin lined
Keratinised squamous epithelium
What is the Middle ear region lined with?
Respiratory epithelium
Ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium
What is the inner ear lined with?
Stereocilia
Describe the inner ear region
- fluid filled ducts
- cochlea
- semicircular canals, utricle, saccule
- lined with sterocilia
What bone is the ear associated with?
Petrous part of temporal bone
Innervation to the external ear for general sensation
Cervical spinal nerves C2/3
Trigeminal V > auriculotemporal nerve
Vagus X
Facial VII
Innervation of the middle ear cavity + medial surface of tympanic membrane
Glossopharyngeal IX (tympanic nerve)
What should you suspect if a patient presents with otalgia with no other signs suggestive of ear disease + normal ear exam?
Alternate site of pathology due to referred pain
e.g. laryngeal + pharyngeal cancers, TMJ disease, oropharyngeal disease
What nerve carries hearing from the ear?
Vestibulocochlear VIII
Function of the external ear
Collects, transmits + focuses sound waves on to tympanic membrane
Describe the external acoustic meatus
- 2.5cm long
- sigmoid shape
- outer 1/3 cartilage + inner 2/3 bone
- skin lined (keratinised squamous epithelium)
- hair + glands only in cartilage part