ear anatomy
Illustration by Shirley Thompson
1-The ear canal is a cylindrical structure lined by skin. It extends from the outer opening (meatus) to the eardrum.
Cerumen (wax) glands in the skin secrete wax that lubricates the ear canal. Wax might plug the canal, causing a loss of hearing. This wax plug requirements to be removed.
ear anatomy
An infection of the ear canal skin causes inflammation and swelling of the skin that is generally associated with discomfort. Antibiotics are utilized to treat the infection.
2-The eardrum is a thin membrane that separates the external ear (ear canal) from the middle ear. Sound waves vibrate the eardrum.
A perforation (hole) in the eardrum might happen as a result of infection, trauma(e.g. swab puncture, waterskiing injury), or other issues. The perforation might close spontaneously otherwise surgery is required to repair the eardrum.
3-There are 3 ossicles (bones of hearing). The ossicles conduct the sounds from the eardrum into the inner ear.
3a-Malleus , 3b-Incus , 3c-Stapes.
Diseases such as cholesteatoma and chronic infection with discharge can erode or destroy the bones. Trauma to the head might disrupt the bones.
In some instances, tough plaque deposits on the bones result in decreased mobility of the ossicles. Otosclerosis causes fixation of the stapes bone. These conditions result in a conductive hearing loss.
ear anatomy
four-The mastoid is a honeycomb of air cells situated behind the ear. The air cells are lined by a thin mucous membrane.
The mastoid is connected to the component of the ear where the hearing and balance mechanisms are situated. Diseases such as infection, and cholesteatoma can involve the mastoid.
five-The Eustachian tube begins in the nasopharynx, which is above and behind the soft palate, and extends to the middle ear.
The Eustachian tube opens periodically to equalize the pressure in the middle ear. A malfunction of the Eustachian tube might trigger issues in the middle ear or the mastoid.
Some of these issues consist of:
ear anatomy
Fluid
Infection
Retractions of the eardrum
Cholesteatoma
Kids with some middle ear issues might "outgrow" the difficulty as the Eustachian tube matures.
6-The labyrinth contains the delicate structures of the inner ear balance mechanism. Diseases of the inner ear structure might trigger dizziness or balance issues.
ear anatomy
7-The cochlea is the inner ear organ of hearing. The cochlea is lined by thousands of extremely little nerve endings.When sound waves trigger the fluids in the cochlea to move, it activates the nerve endings.
There are numerous causes of cochlear hearing loss. Some patients benefit from a hearing aid. In some instances, an implant can be placed into the cochlea to assist the patient hear much better.
ear anatomy
8-There are four nerves in the internal auditory canal:
Two vestibular (balance) nerves.
1 cochlear (hearing) nerve.
ear anatomy
1 facial nerve.
These nerves have a sheath or covering. In some instances, a growth of the sheath occurs. This is known as a neuroma.
ear anatomy