The Ear 1 Flashcards
What does the external ear consist of?
- auricle/ pinna
- external acoustic/ auditory meatus
What kind of framework does most of the auricle have?
Most of the auricle has a supporting elastic cartilaginous framework with skin firmly attached to this.
What is the surface of the auricle like?
It is thrown into numerous folds and depressions which collect sound waves and allow us to discrimate their direction more easily.
What is the outermost rim of the auricle called?
This is called the helix
What does the helix of the auricle run into?
It runs into the lobule.
Describe the lobule of the auricle.
The lobule is fleshy and has no fibrocartilganinous support.
What is the inner rim of the auricle called?
The inner rim is called the antihelix.
What does the antihelix of the auricle encircle?
It encircles a depper concave portion of the auricle called the concha.
What are hearing aid moulds carefully constructed to fit?
They are carefully constructed to fit the concha and the external auditory meatus with an air tight seal here.
Anteriorly, what projects laterally at the entrance of the external auditory meatus?
The tragus projects laterally a little as a spur of elastic fibrocartilage.
What can we use an auriscope to examine?
We can use an auriscope to examine the external auditory meatus and the membrane of its inner end which is called the tympanic membrane.
Why do we have to take great care when conducting an auriscope examination with a newborn child?
Because their external auditory meatus is very short.
In adults, what is the outer third of the external auditory meatus like?
The outer third is cartilaginous.
In adults, what is the inner section of the external auditory meatus like?
It is walled by bone.
What is the most of the bone that makes up the inner section of the external auditory meatus made up of?
It is formed by the tympanic plate of the temporal bone.
What is the shape of the external auditory meatus?
It is an S shaped curve which first curves anteriorly and then posteriorly and then anteroinferiorly to reach the tympanic membrane.
Is the tympanic membrane at a right angle to the external auditory meatus?
No, it is placed obliquely so that the anterior wall and the floor if the meatus are longer than the roof of the posterior wall
How can we straighten the meatus for auriscope examination?
We must pull the auricle upwards and backwards.
What is the characteristic features of the normal tympanic membrane?
- certain parts of the malleus shine through the membrane
- long handle of the malleus is attached to the inner surface of the membrane, seen as a streak passing down and back to a point just below its centre.
- at the upper end of the long handle of the malleus, a small lateral process creates a prominence in the membrane
- anterior and posterior folds extend upwards from the upper end of the handle to the periphery of the membrane.
- between the anterior and posterior folds there is a flaccid part of the membrane
- flaccid part of the membrane is vascular
- tympanic membrane is drawn inwards at the handle so that the outer surface of the handle of the malleus is concave.
MLSFFC
What does light reflected from the auroscope produce in the anteroinferior quadrant of the tympanic membrane?
It produced a cone of light.
Where do the external auditory meatus and external aspect of the tympanic membrane recieve sensory nerve fibres from?
- vagus nerve = 10th cranial nerve
- trigeminal nerve = 5th cranial nerve
What is the middle ear also called?
The tympanic cavity.
Describe the tympanic cavity?
This is a small air filled space within the petrous temporal bone.
How does the tympanic cavity communicate with the pharynx?
It communicates with the pharynx in front through the auditory tube which is sometimes called the eustachian tube or pharyngotympanic tube.
What does the tympanic cavity communicate with behind?
It communicates with the mastoid antrum.
Describe the upper part of the tympanic cavity?
The upper part is expanded into an epitympanic recess.
What does the middle air contain that connects the tympanic membrane to the membrane of the inner ear?
It contains 3 small bones or ossicles that connect these 2 membranes.
What do the ossicles of middle ear do?
They transmit vibrations across the cavity from the external ear to the internal ear.
Therefore we have mechanical coupling between the vibrations of the tympanic membrane and the vibrations of fluid within the inner ear.
What different walls does the tympanic cavity have?
It has a lateral, medial, anterior and posterior wall as well as a roof and floor.
What is the size of the tympanic cavity?
About the size of a hearing aid battery with similar proportions.
What is the lateral wall of the tympanic cavity formed of?
It is formed of the tympanic membrane.
What is the medial wall of the tympanic cavity made of?
It is made of the bone of the inner ear.
What are the some of the grooves and eminences that are produced by structures within the bone of the inner ear that make up the medial wall of the tympanic cavity?
- promontory – rounded elevation on the medial wall that is produced by the cochlea
- behind the promontory there are 2 openings that lead to bony cavities
- upper opening = fenestrae vestibuli (oval window)
- closed by the stapes which is one of the middle ear ossicles
- lower opening = fenestrae cochleae (round window)
- closed by the secondary tympanic membrane
- upper opening = fenestrae vestibuli (oval window)
What does the the anterior wall of the tympanic cavity lead it?
It leads to 2 canals which are the auditory tube and the canal for the tensor tympani muscle.
Out of the auditory tube and the canal for the tensor tympanic muscle, which is the lower and larger of the 2?
The auditory tube.
How does the auditory tube reach the pharynx?
It passes obliquely towards the pharynx.
How does the auditory tube change?
First it is within the petrous part of the temporal bone but it continues through the pharynx as a cartilaginous tube.
What is the function of the auditory tube?
It acts as a protective mechanis for the middle ear by allowing pressure to be equalised on the 2 sides of the tympanic membrane at all times.
When does the auditory tube open?
This tube opens during swallowing and yawning.
The cartilaginous part is related to several muscles that are active during swallowing and yawning.
What is the nerve supply to the mucous membrane of the auditory tube?
It is supplied by the glossopharyngeal nerve which is the 9th cranial nerve.