Ears Flashcards
What is the ear canal considered?
External ear
About 1 inch long and narrows in the middle
Where does the middle ear start?
Tympanic membrane
What is the tympanic membrane?
Thin, grayish membrane that separates external ear from internal ear
What do the eustachian tubes do?
Drain and equalize pressure in the ear
What does increased pressure in the ear lead to?
Vertigo
What is part of the inner ear?
Cochlea
Hair/cilia inside cochlea - organ of corti
What are cilia for?
Picking up different pitches/frequencies
How does hearing occur?
Vibration travel through the ear canal, vibrate the tympanic membrane, through ossicles, to cochlea/organ of corti, to CN VIII, to temporal lobe
Where should the helix of the ear be located?
At or above the outer canthus
What is the auricle?
The external ear
What is the antihelix?
Parallel and anterior to the helix
What is the antitragus?
Opposite the auditory canal opening
What is the external auditory canal?
2.5-3 cm length, narrow mid-way and widens near the eardrum
What is the otitis externa?
Outer ear infection
What is otitis media?
Middle ear infection (behind tympanic membrane)
What is the middle ear?
Air filled cavity in temporal bone separated from external ear by tympanic membrane
How do you inspect an adult ear?
Pull up and back
How do you inspect and child ear?
Pull down and back
What is the upper section of the TM called?
Pars flaccida