ASSESSING EARS Flashcards
EARS
* the sense organ of hearing and equilibrium. It consists of
three distinct parts: the external ear, the middle ear, and the
inner ear.
a. External Ear
b. Middle Ear
c. Inner Ear or labyrinth,
is composed of the auricle, or pinna,
and the external auditory canal
external ear
is a small, air-filled
chamber in the temporal bone.
b. Middle Ear or tympanic cavity,
is fluid filled and made up of
the bony labyrinth and an inner membranous
labyrinth.
c. Inner Ear or labyrinth,
Sound vibrations traveling through air are collected
by and funneled through the external ear, causing
the eardrum to vibrate.
HEARING
the transmission of sound waves through the external and
middle ear
Conductive Hearing
would be related to a dysfunction
of the external or middle ear (e.g., impacted ear wax, otitis
media, foreign object, perforated eardrum, drainage in the
middle ear, or otosclerosis)
conductive hearing loss
transmission of sound waves in the inner ear
Perceptive or Sensorineural Hearing
would be related to dysfunction of the
inner ear (i.e., organ of Corti, cranial nerve VIII, or temporal
lobe of brain)
sensorineural lossww
- composed of the auricle, or pinna, and the external auditory
canal - S-shaped in the adult
- the outer part of the canal curves up and back
- the inner part of the canal curves down and forward
EXTERNAL EAR
Modified sweat glands in the external ear canal secrete
_______ - a wax-like substance that keeps the
tympanic membrane soft
______has bacteriostatic properties, and its sticky
consistency serves as consistency serves as a
o cerumen
has a translucent,
pearly gray appearance and serves as a partition stretched
across the inner end of the auditory canal, separating it from
the middle ear.
The tympanic membrane, or eardrum,
—the nearest
auditory ossicle that can be seen through the translucent
membrane
malleus
—the base of the malleus but also serves as a center
point landmark
Umbo
—the reflection of the otoscope light seen as a
cone due to the concave nature of the membrane
Cone of light
—the top portion of the membrane that
appears to be less taut than the bottom portion
Pars flaccida
—the bottom of the membrane that appears to
be taut
Pars tensa
a small, air-filled chamber in the temporal bone
* separated from the external ear by the eardrum and from
the inner ear by a bony partition containing two openings,
the round and oval windows
MIDDLE EAR (Tympanic cavity)
MIDDLE EAR (Tympanic cavity) contains 3 auditory ossicles:
malleus, incus, stapes
These tiny bones are responsible for transmitting
sound waves from the eardrum to the inner ear
through the oval window
3 auditory ossicles:
malleus, incus, stapes
Air pressure is equalized on both sides of the tympanic
membrane by means of the _____, which
connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx
eustachian tube
The bony labyrinth has 3 parts:
cochlea, vestibule,
semicircular canals