Ear Flashcards
What are the three chambers of the ear?
External, middle, internal ear
What does the auricle/pinna do?
Collects and amplifies sound
What is the structure of external acoustic meatus?
Lateral one third is elastic cartilage, medial two thirds is bone, covered with skin
What does skin of lateral wall of external ear contain?
Hair follicles, sebaceous glands, ceruminous glands
How is cerumen made?
Secretions from apocrine ceruminous glands mix with secretions from the sebaceous glands and desquamated cells
What important factor does cerumen have?
Antimicrobial properties with lubricating properties
What is the middle ear known as?
Tympanic cavity
What is middle ear lined with?
Simple cuboidal epithelium
What does the internal ear do?
Auditory sensory receptors convert sound energy to electrical impulses
What do sensory receptors of vestibular system provide?
Responses to gravity movements of the head, maintain balance and equilibrium to help coordinate movements of head and eyes
What is main function of middle ear?
Convert sound waves arriving from external ear into mechanical vibrations that are transmitted to internal ear
What three components does the middle ear consist of?
Three auditory ossicles, Malleus, Incus, Stapes
Muscles attached to ossicles
Round window
Oval window
Auditory/Eustachian tube
What does auditory/eustachian tube do?
Connects middle ear to pharynx, vents middle ear by equalizing pressure of middle ear with atmospheric pressure
What is auditory/eustachian tube lined with?
Ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium
What is important clinical feature of auditory/eustachian tube?
Route for spread of infection from pharynx to middle ear- Otitis Media
Mastoiditis- System of air cells extends into mastoid portion of temporal bone from middle ear, epithelial lining of air cells is continuous with tympanic cavity, this continuation allows infections from middle ear to spread to mastoid air cells called Mastoiditis
What does tympanic membrane do?
Separates middle ear from external acoustic meatus, transmits sound waves to the ossicles of middle ear
What are the layers of tympanic membrane?
Skin of external auditory canal, lined with simple squamous keratinized epithelium, fibers arranged radially
Epithelial lining on internal surface of low simple cuboidal, fibers arranged circularly
What are the two labyrinth compartments of internal ear?
Bony labyrinth
Membranous labyrinth
What are the three fluid filled spaces of the internal ear?
Endolymphatic space-endolymph
Perilymphatic space-perilymph
Cortilymphatic space-cortilymph
Where is endolymph found?
In membranous labyrinth
Where is perilymph found?
In between bony and membranous labyrinth
Where is cortilymph found?
In inner tunnel and out tunnel of Corti
What is composition of perilymph and cortilymph?
Exrtacellular fluid, high Na and low K
What is composition of endolymph?
Intracellular like fluid, high K and low Na
What is the vestibule?
Small chamber located in center of bony labyrinth, houses saccule and utricle, also contains round and oval windows
What do the semicircular canals open into?
Vestibule
How many orifices does the semicircular canals have opening into vestibule?
5
How many ampulla is located in semicircular canals?
3, one in each
What degree are semicircular canals arranged with eachother?
90 degree angles
How many turns does cochlea have?
2.75 - 60% of people
Range is 2.5-3
What is central spongy bone in cochlear called?
Modiolus
What ganglion lies in the modiolus?
Sensory spiral ganglion, cell bodies of auditory nerve
What system are the membranous semicircular ducts, utricle, and saccule components of?
Vestibular system
What system is the membranous cochlear duct a component of?
Auditory system
Where are sensory hair cells located?
6 regions of the membranous labyrinth
3 in crista ampullaris of semicircular canals
2 in macula of saccule and utricle
1 in organ of corti