THE ORGAN FOR HEARING AND
BALANCE
1. EXTERNAL (OUTER) EAR
The external (outer) ear consists of the auricle, external auditory canal, and eardrum
THE AURICLE (PINNA)
It Is a flap of elastic cartilage shaped like the flared end of a trumpet and covered by skin. The
rim of the auricle is the helix; the inferior portion is the lobule. Ligaments and muscles attach the
auricle to the head.
THE EXTERNAL AUDITORY CANAL
is a curved tube about 2.5 cm (1 in.) long that lies in the temporal bone and leads to the eardrum.
Near the exterior opening, the external auditory canal contains a few hairs and specialized
sweat glands called ceruminous glands that secrete earwax or cerumen.The combination of
hairs and cerumen helps prevent dust and foreign objects from entering the ear. Cerumen also
prevents damage to the delicate skin of the external ear canal by water and insects. Cerumen
usually dries up and falls out of the ear canal. However, some people produce a large amount of
cerumen, which can become impacted and can muffle incoming sounds. The treatment for
impacted cerumen is usually periodic ear irrigation or removal of wax with a blunt instrument
by trained medical personnel.
THE TYMPANIC MEMBRANE OR EARDRUM
It is a thin, semitransparent partition between the external auditory canal and middle ear. The
tympanic membrane is covered by epidermis and lined by simple cuboidal epithelium.
Between the epithelial layers is connective tissue composed of collagen,elastic fibers, and
fibroblasts. Tearing of the tympanic membrane is called a perforated eardrum.
2. MIDDLE EAR (Ear oscicles,oval window,round window,muscles, auditory tube)
The middle ear is a small, Air-filled Cavity in the Petrous Portion Of The Temporal Bone that
is lined by epithelium .It is separated from the external ear by the tympanic Membrane and
from the internal ear by a thin bony partition that Contains two small membrane covered
openings: the oval window And the round window. three smallest bones in the body are
situated in the middle ear. The bones, named for their shapes, are the malleus,Incus, and stapes
commonly called the hammer, anvil, and stirrup, respectively. The “handle” of the malleus
attaches to the internal surface of the tympanic membrane. The head Of the malleus
articulates with the body of the incus. The incus the middle bone in the series, articulates with the
head Of the stapes. The base or footplate of the stapes fits Into the oval window. Directly
below the oval window is another opening, the round window, which is enclosed by a membrane
Called the secondary tympanic membrane. two tiny skeletal muscles also attach to The
ossicles .The tensor tympani Muscle, which is supplied by the mandibular branch of the
Trigeminal (V) nerve, limits movement and increases tension on The eardrum to prevent damage
to the inner ear from loud noises.The stapedius muscle, which is supplied by the Facial (VII)
nerve, is the smallest skeletal muscle in the human Body. By dampening large vibrations of the
stapes due to loud Noises, it protects the oval window, but it also decreases the sensitivity of
hearing.
The anterior wall of the middle ear contains an opening called auditory (pharyngotympanic)
tube,Commonly known as the eustachian tube. The auditory tube,Which consists of both bone
and elastic cartilage, connects the middle ear with the nasopharynx (superior portion of the
Throat). It is normally closed at its medial (pharyngeal) end.During swallowing and yawning, it
opens, allowing air to enter Or leave the middle ear until the pressure in the middle ear
Equals the atmospheric pressure. When the pressures Are balanced, the tympanic membrane
vibrates freely as sound Waves strike it. If the pressure is not equalized, intense pain,Hearing
impairment, ringing in the ears, and vertigo could develop. The auditory tube also is a route for
pathogens to travel From the nose and throat to the middle ear, causing the most Common type
of ear infection .
3. INTERNAL EAR
The inner (internal) ear or labyrinth (meaning ‘maze’) contains the organs of hearing and
balance. It is described in two parts, the bony labyrinth and the membranous labyrinth.
BONY LABYRINTH
This is a cavity within the temporal bone lined with periosteum.
It is encloses, the membranous labyrinth of the same shape that fits into it, like a tube within a
tube.
Between the bony and membranous labyrinth there is a layer of watery fluid called perilymph
and within the membranous labyrinth there is a similarly watery fluid, endolymph.
THE BONY LABYRINTH CONSISTS OF:
the vestibule
the cochlea
three semicircular canals.
THE VESTIBULE.
This is the expanded part nearest the middle ear. It contains the oval and round windows in its
lateral wall.
THE COCHLEA.
This resembles a snail’s shell. It has a broad base where it is continuous with the vestibule and a
narrow apex, and it spirals round a central bony column.
THE SEMICIRCULAR CANALS.
These are three tubes arranged so that one is situated in each of the three planes of space. They
are continuous with the vestibule.
MEMBRANOUS LABYRINTH
This contains endolymph and lies within its bony counterpart.
It comprises:
the vestibular apparatus
the cochlea
VESTIBULAR APPARATUS
it consists of two parts
The otolith organ , (which include utricle and saccule)
3 Semicircular canals
Utricle and saccule contains microscopic crystals of caco3
The base of each Semicircular canal is expanded to form a membranous ampulla that contains
sensory hair cells
The utricle and saccule provide information about linear acceleration-changes in velocity when
traveling horizontally or vertically.
The utricle is more sensitive to e horizontal acceleration and the saccule is more sensitive to
vertical acceleration.
The semicircular canals, which are oriented in three s planes, or in X, Y, and Z axis, which evoke
a sense of rotational, or angular, acceleration. This helps to maintain balance when turning the
head, spinning, or tumbling.
THE COCHLEA
A cross-section of the cochlea contains three compartments:
the scala vestibuli
the scala media, or cochlear duct
the scala tympani
section the bony cochlea has two compartments containing perilymph: the scala vestibuli, which
originates at the oval window, and the scala tympani, which ends at the round window.
The cochlear duct is part of the membranous labyrinth and is triangular in shape.
On the basilar membrane, or base of the triangle, there are supporting cells and specialised
cochlear hair cells containing auditory receptor specialised cochlear hair spiral Organ ( of corti)
Organ of corti is the sensory organ that responds to vibration by initiating nerve impulses that are
then perceived as hearing by the brain
The auditory receptors are dendrites of efferent nerves that combines forming the Cochlear part
of the vestibulocochlear nerve.
