ENI - Ear Flashcards
List the functions of the ear
- Locate directional source of sound
- Collect sound waves and conduct to inner ear
- Transduction and transmission of impulses to brain
- Balance and positional sense
What are the 3 levels of the ear?
- External
- Middle
- Inner
Describe the anatomy of the auricular cartilage
- Flattened distally
- Ridged proximally to form anthelic and tragus
- Changes from cone shaped to tube shaped proximally, concha
Describe the anatomy of the scutiform cartilage
- Rostromedial
- Function is support
What are the limits of the external ear?
Pinna and external ear canal (external auditory meatus) down to tympanic membrane (ear drum)
- L shaped
Describe the anatomy of the annular cartilage
- Ring shaped
- Attaches other cartilages to bone of bulla
Describe the anatomy of the acoustic process
- Ligamentous attachments to skull
- Attaches to cartilages
What is the vascular supply to the external ear?
- Auricular arteries (from internal carotid)
- Venous drainage to internal maxillary vein
Describe the innervation of the external ear
- Motor nerves to auricular muscles (auriculopalpebral branch of CN VII facial)
- Sensory: branch of CN V trigeminal, cervical segmental C2
What structures are adjacent to the external ear?
- Parotid salivary gland
- Blood vessels (auricular artery, superficial temporal arteries, branches of external carotid, external maxillary vein)
- Nerves
What nerves run close to the external ear?
- Facial nerve (rostroventrial to horizontal canal)
- Auriculotemporal branch of mandibular portion of trigeminal nerve (rostral to vertical canal)
Describe the integumentary covering of the external ear
- Tightly adherent, except Henri’s pocket on caudal pinnal edge
- Thin, squamous stratified keratinising epidermis
- Thin dermis containing adnexal structures
- Hair follicles variable density
- Glands present
- Connective tissue underneath and tehn cartilage
Describe the glands of the external ear
- Sebaceous more prominent distally
- Apocrine, ceruminous
- Increased density proximally
- Sebaceous glands closer to epidermis than apocrine
Describe the histological appearance of the sebaceous glands of the external ear
Large foamy appearance, lipid containing cells
Describe the histological appearance of the apocrine glands of the external ear
- Simple cuboidal epithelium
- Watery secretion
Compare the types of secretion in different parts of the external ear canal
- Distally more lipidy (sebaceous glands)
- Proximally more watery (apocrine glands)
Describe hair within the external ear
- Differs by breed and species
- Sebaceous glands associated with follicles
- Number of hairs in ear canal does not equate to ear disease
Describe the tympanic membrane
- Epithelial
- Boundary betwen external and middle ear
- Stratified keratinising epithelium laterally (outer part)
- Thin lamina propria
- Cuboidal mucosal epithelium medially (middle ear side)
- Scattered secretory goblet cells
- Pars flaccida and pars tensa present
Describe the normal cleaning mechanism of the tympanic membrane
- Migration of cells centripetally from middle at level of stratum granulosum
- Upward epithelial migration proceeds distally
Describe the pars flaccida of the tympanic membrane
- Thicker part
- Dorsorostrally
- Adjacent to malleus
Describe the pars tensa of the tympanic membrane
- Thinner
- Centrally
- Translucent
Describe the appearance of the malleus at the level of the tympanic membrane
- Manubrium of malleus visible
- C-shaped
- Closely associated with collagen in lamina propria
Describe the middle ear
- Tympanic cavity in tympanic bulla
- Contains auditory ossicles
- Connected to nasopharynx via eustachian tube
- 3 compartments
What are the 3 compartments of the the middle ear?
- Epitympanum
- Mesotympanum
- Hypotympanum
Describe the epitympanum
- Dorsal, smallest compartment
- Contains malleus and incus
Describe the mesotympanum
- Tympanic memrbane laterally
- Bony promontory medially
- 3rd ossicle stapes attached to oval window
- Round window and opening to auditory tube