Ear Flashcards
What type of cartilage makes up the auricle?
Elastic cartilage
What part of the external acoustic meatus is cartilage? What makes up the other part?
1/3 is cartilage. Other 2/3 is bone
What is cerumen?
desquamated skin cells, secretions from sebaceous and ceruminous glands
What covers the external surface of the TM?
Thin epidermis (skin)
What is the internal surface of the TM? What type of epithelium?
simple squamous to simple cuboidal epithelium, which is the mucous membrane of the middle ear cavity.
What does the intermediate layer of the TM consist of?
Collagen and elastic fibers arranged radially and circularly with fibroblasts
What is the function of the middle ear?
Convert sound waves into mechanical vibrations
The middle ear is lined with what type of epithelium?
Simple squamous
Loss of middle ear function results in what?
Conductive hearing loss
What is the muscle that is attached to the malleus? What is its innervation?
tensor tympani (CN V3)
What is the muscle that attaches to the stapes? What is its innervation?
Stapedius. innervation = CN 7 via the lesser petrosal nerve
What is the function of stapes?
Dampens movement of the stapes on the oval window
What is the window that attaches the stapes to the inner ear: the oval or round window?
Oval
What is the function of the round window?
Provide an outlet for pressure changes in the inner ear
What is otosclerosis?
bone remodeling causing Stapes to be fixed onto the oval window.
The eustatian tube connects what to what?
Middle ear to the nasopharynx
What is the epithelial type that comprises the auditory tube?
Pseudostratifed columnar
What is the transition between epithelial types that occurs between the eustatian tube and the middle ear?
middle ear = simple squamous
Aud tube = pseudostratifed colunar
What lines the pseudostratified epithelial cells in the auditory tube?
Goblet cell
What is the function of the auditory tube?
Equalize pressure
What is the epithelium that lines the mastoid air cells?
Simple squamous (same as middle ear)
What are the three spaces that are in the inner ear?
- Endolymphatic space
- Perilymphatic space
- Cortilymphatic space
What is the endolymphatic space?
Space within the membranous labyrinth
What are the ions that are present within endolymph?
High K, low Na (like inside of cells)
What is the perilymphatic space?
Space between the membranous labyrinth and bony labyrinth
What is the ion composition of the perilymph?
High Na, low K (just like ECF)
What is the space within the organ of Corti in the cochlea?
Cortilymphatic space
What is the ionic composition of the cortilymph?
High Na, low K
The inner ear is in which bone?
The temporal bone
What type of epithelium lines the external auditory meatus, as well as the external TM?
STRATIFIED squamous
What is the significance of the presence of fibroblasts in the TM?
Allows TM to regenerate
What types of joints are in the malleus, incus, and the stapes?
Synovial
What is the epithelium that lines the malleous, incus, and the stapes?
Simple squamous (just like the inner ear)
What is the structure on the inner ear that has the oval window on it?
The vestibule