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Head and Neck > Anatomy of the ear > Flashcards

Anatomy of the ear Flashcards

1
Q

What are the basic functions of the ear?

A

Hearing

Balance

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2
Q

What are the parts of the ear?

A

External ear

Middle ear

Inner ear

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3
Q

What are the parts of the external ear?

A

Pinna

External auditory meatus

Lateral surface of tympanic membrane

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4
Q

What is the pinna made up of?

A

Cartilage

covered with skin

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5
Q

What are the parts of the pinna?

A

Helix

Antihelix

Concha

Tragus

Lobe

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6
Q

What is the helix of the pinna?

A

Outer fold of the pinna

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7
Q

What is the antihelix of the pinna?

A

Flat area deep to the helix of the pinna

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8
Q

What is the concha of the pinna?

A

Flat area deep to the antihelix of the pinna

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9
Q

What is the tragus of the pinna?

A

Flap over the external auditory meatus

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10
Q

What is the lobe of the pinna?

A

Most inferior part of the pinna

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11
Q

What is the lobe of the pinna made up of?

A

Loose adipose connective tissue

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12
Q

What is the external auditory meatus made up of?

A

Outer 1/3 is made up of cartilage

Inner 2/3 made up of bone

Both covered by skin

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13
Q

What skull bone makes up the inner external acoustic meatus?

A

Tympanic plate of temporal bone

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14
Q

What is the shape of the externa auditory meatus?

A

Sigmoid shape

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15
Q

How long is the external auditory meatus?

A

2.5cm

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16
Q

What does the cartilaginous part of the external auditory meatus contain?

A

Hairs

Glands producing wax

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17
Q

What are the functions of the hairs and wax in the external auditory meatus?

A

Physical barrier to prevent substances passing deeper into the external auditory meatus

Aid in migration of shed skin cells out of external auditory meatus

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18
Q

What is located at the end of the external auditory meatus?

A

The tympanic membrane

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19
Q

What does the tympanic membrane look like?

A

Translucent

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20
Q

What is the tympanic membrane made up of?

A

Fibrous connective tissue

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21
Q

What is the shape of the tympanic membrane?

A

Cone-shaped

apex points medially

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22
Q

What does the apex of the tympanic membrane attach to?

A

Malleus

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23
Q

What are the functions of the external ear?

A

Collect and transmit sound waves onto tympanic membrane

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24
Q

What is the middle ear made up of?

A

Ossicles

Air-filled cavity

Eustachian tube

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25
What is another term for the middle ear?
Tympanic cavity
26
What skull bone contains the middle and inner ear?
Petrous part of temporal bone
27
What skull bone contains the internal acoustic meatus?
Petrous part of temporal bone
28
What are ossicles?
Small bones in the middle ear
29
How many ossicles are there?
Three
30
What does the malleus bone attach to?
Apex of tympanic membrane Incus
31
What does the incus bone attach to?
Malleus Stapes
32
What does the stapes bone attach to?
Incus Oval window of cochlea
33
What are the three ossicles?
Malleus Incus Stapes
34
What type of joint connects the ossicle bones?
Synovial joints
35
What is the function of the ossicles?
Amplify vibrations from tympanic membrane | to oval window
36
What is the oval window?
Membrane-covered opening between the middle ear and inner ear
37
How do the ossicles amplify vibrations to the oval window?
By themselves vibrating | and hitting the oval window
38
Why is the function of the ossicles important?
Because the middle ear is filled with air, but the inner ear is filled with fluid Poor conduction of sound from air to fluid Ossicles in ear amplify vibrations to increase conduction of sound in fluid of inner ear
39
What does the degree of vibration of the ossicles depend on?
How loud the sound heard was
40
Which ossicle is in direct contact with the oval window?
Stapes
41
What is the acoustic reflex?
Loud sound heard lots of vibration of stapes bone against oval window contraction of stapedius muscle to reduce vibration of stapes
42
What part of stapes is in direct contact with the oval window?
Base plate
43
What controls the degree of vibration of the stapes ossicle?
Stapedius muscle contracts | to reduce vibration of stapes ossicle against oval window
44
What innervates the stapedius muscle?
Facial nerve | gives off branch to stapedius muscle
45
What is the eustachian tube?
Air-filled tube that runs from the middle ear cavity to the nasopharynx
46
What is the main function of the eustachian tube?
To equilibriate pressure in the middle ear cavity | with atmospheric pressure
47
What are the minor functions of the eustachian tube?
Ventilation of middle ear cavity Drainage of mucus from middle ear cavity
48
Which cranial nerve runs close to the middle ear cavity?
CN7 facial nerve
49
What is the facial nerve passing through when it is close to the middle ear cavity?
Facial canal in petrous part of temporal bone
50
What is the relative pressure in the middle ear cavity?
Negative pressure
51
Why is there negative pressure in the middle ear cavity?
Because the mucous membrane lining the middle ear | continuously reabsorbs air from the middle ear cavity
52
Which cranial nerves run through the middle ear cavity?
Chorda tympani branch of CN7 facial nerve CN8 vestibulocochlear nerve
53
What is the mastoid antrum?
Prolongation of middle ear cavity
54
What connects the middle ear to the mastoid antrum?
Mastoid aditus
55
What is the mastoid antrum continuous with apart from the middle ear?
Mastoid air cells
56
What are mastoid air cells?
Air-filled cavities within the mastoid part of the temporal bone
57
What skull bone contains the mastoid antrum?
Mastoid part of temporal bone
58
What is another term for the inner ear?
Labyrinth
59
What are the parts of the inner ear?
Cochlea Vestibular apparatus
60
What is the cochlea made up of?
Fluid contained in cochlear duct cochlear duct is lined by membrane membrane is lined by bone
61
What covers the inner surface of the cochlear duct?
Spiral organ of Corti lines one surface
62
What is the spiral organ of Corti made up of?
Hair cells | have stereocilia on their apical domain
63
What happens in the cochlea when the oval window vibrates?
Fluid in cochlear duct moves causes stereocilia on hair cells to move generates action potentials
64
What carries action potentials from the cochlea?
Cochlear part of CN8 vestibulocochlear nerve
65
What information is carried in the cochlear part of the CN8 vestibulocochlear nerve?
Special sensory - hearing
66
Where does the cochlear part of the vestibulocochlear nerve carry action potentials to eventually?
Primary auditory cortex | in temporal lobe
67
What is the vestibular apparatus made up of?
Semicircular canals Saccule Utricle
68
What is a semicircular canal made up of?
Fluid contained in semicircular duct semicircular duct is lined by membrane membrane is lined by bone
69
What covers the inner surface of the semicircular ducts?
Hair cells | have stereocilia on their apical domain
71
What carries action potentials from the vestibular apparatus?
Vestibular part of CN8 vestibulocochlear nerve
72
What information is carried in the vestibular part of the CN8 vestibulocochlear nerve?
Special sensory - position, balance
73
What happens to the semicircular canals when the head is moved?
Fluid in semicircular canals moves causes the stereocilia on the hair cells lining the semicircular canals to move generates action potentials

Head and Neck (54 decks)

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