Anatomy of Ear

ANATOMY OF
EAR
By :
Dr Manjula Vastrad
Asst Prof
Dept of Rachana Shareera
SMVVS RKM AMC
VIJAYAPUR
INTRODUCTION
The ear is the organ of hearing and balance.
the ear is having three parts—
the outer ear,
the middle ear and
the inner ear.
OUTER EAR
The outer ear is the external portion of the ear and includes the
fleshy visible pinna (also called the auricle), the ear canal, and the
outer layer of the eardrum (also called the tympanic membrane).
The pinna consists of the curving outer rim called the helix, the
inner curved rim called the antihelix, and opens into the ear canal.
The tragus protrudes and partially obscures the ear canal, as does
the facing antitragus. The hollow region in front of the ear canal is
called the concha. The ear canal stretches for about 1 inch. The
first part of the canal is surrounded by cartilage, while the second
part near the eardrum is surrounded by bone. This bony part is
known as the auditory bulla and is formed by the tympanic part of
the temporal bone. The skin surrounding the ear canal
contains ceruminous and sebaceous glands that produce
protective ear wax. The ear canal ends at the external surface of
the eardrum.
MIDDLE EAR :
The middle ear lies between the outer ear and the inner ear.
It consists of an air-filled cavity called the tympanic cavity and
includes the three ossicles and their attaching ligaments; the
auditory tube; and the round and oval windows. The ossicles
are three small bones that function together to receive,
amplify, and transmit the sound from the eardrum to the inner
ear. The ossicles are the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and
the stapes (stirrup). The stapes is the smallest named bone in
the body. The middle ear also connects to the upper throat at
the nasopharynx via the pharyngeal opening of the
Eustachian tube.
The three ossicles transmit sound from the outer ear
to the inner ear. The malleus receives vibrations
from sound pressure on the eardrum, where it is
connected at its longest part (the manubrium or
handle) by a ligament. It transmits vibrations to the
incus, which in turn transmits the vibrations to the
small stapes bone. The wide base of the stapes
rests on the oval window. As the stapes vibrates,
vibrations are transmitted through the oval window,
causing movement of fluid within the cochlea.
INTERNAL EAR :
The inner ear sits within the temporal bone in a
complex cavity called the bony labyrinth. A central
area known as the vestibule contains two small fluid-
filled recesses, the utricle and saccule. These
connect to the semicircular canals and the cochlea.
There are three semicircular canals angled at right
angles to each other which are responsible for
dynamic balance. The cochlea is a spiral shell-
shaped organ responsible for the sense of hearing.
These structures together create the
membranous labyrinth.
The bony labyrinth refers to the bony compartment which
contains the membranous labyrinth, contained within the
temporal bone. The inner ear structurally begins at the oval
window, which receives vibrations from the incus of the
middle ear. Vibrations are transmitted into the inner ear into a
fluid called endolymph, which fills the membranous labyrinth.
The endolymph is situated in two vestibules, the utricle and
saccule, and eventually transmits to the cochlea, a spiral-
shaped structure. The cochlea consists of three fluid-filled
spaces: the vestibular duct, the cochlear duct, and the
tympanic duct. Hair cells responsible for transduction—
changing mechanical changes into electrical stimuli are
present in the organ of Corti in the cochlea.
Blood supply
The blood supply of the ear differs according to each part of the ear.
The posterior auricular artery
The anterior auricular arteries
the superficial temporal artery.
The occipital artery
 the maxillary artery
the middle meningeal artery,
 ascending pharyngeal artery,
internal carotid artery, and
 the artery of the pterygoid canal.
the labyrinthine artery,
 the anterior inferior cerebellar artery or the basilar artery.
Venous Drainage :
pterygoid plexus,
external jugular and
maxillary veins.
Innervation
temporal branch of the facial nerve
the posteriortheauricular branch
auricular branch of the
of the vagus facial nerve
nerve
the great auricular nerve

 auriculotemporal nerve
auriculotemporal branch of the mandibular nerve
the auricular branch of the vagus nerve
Clinical significance :
•Hearing loss
•Congenital abnormalities
Vertigo
•Tinnitus

Anatomy of Ear

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ANATOMY OF

the great auricular nerve

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