Ear Flashcards
What is the auricle and how does it function in hearing?
shell-shaped flap of skin-covered cartilage.
Auricle directs sound waves into external acoustic meatus.
The ridges of the auricle are spaced to reinforce sounds in the 1-3kHz range (human speech)
What is the external acoustic meatus and how does it function in hearing?
2-3 cm canal between auricle and TM.
Directs sound pressure waves to TM.
What is the tympanic membrane and how does it function in hearing?
1 cm diameter oval between external acoustic meatus and tympanic cavity.
Vibrates in response to sound wave striking its surface; vibrations are transmitted to the middle ear ossicles.
What innervates the auricle?
greater auricular nerve from cervical plexus
auriculotemporal from V3 of trigeminal
What innervates the tympanic membrane?
external tympanic membrane: auriculotemporal of V3, auricular branch of CN X
internal tympanic membrane: CN IX
What bone encloses the middle ear?
petrous part of temporal bone
What are the contents of the tympanic cavity?
3 ossicles
2 skeletal muscles
2 nerves
1 nerve plexus
What nerve transits the tympanic cavity?
CN VII chorda tympani
What provides sensory innervation to the eustachian tube?
CN IX via tympanic plexus (posterior tube)
V2 (anterior tube)
What are the 3 auditory ossicles, from lateral to medial?
lateral to medial: malleus, incus, stapes
What passes medial to the neck of the malleus?
chorda tympani
What kind of joints unite the ossicles?
synovial
What is the function of the tensor tympani muscle?
reduces the amplitude of the movements of the MALLEUS
What nerve innervates the tensor tympani?
nerve to tensor tympani, a branch of V3
TTT: Trigeminal Tensor Tympani
What is the function of the stapedius muscle?
prevents excessive movements of the STAPES