THE ANATOMY

OF EAR
 Aim: To study the anatomy of ear using models
 Objectives: To demonstrate the anatomy of given specimen
 Theory
 Sound waves entering the ear is converted to electrical signals before they
are reached to the brain
 Three major part: Outer ear, middle ear and inner ear
 Functions
 Hearing
 Maintaining balance
 PARTS
External Ear:
 Pinna
 External Auditory Meatus
 Drum (Tympanic Membrane)
Middle Ear Cleft:
 Tympanic cavity
 Eustachian Tube
 Ear ossicles
Inner Ear: “The Labyrinth” ƒ
 Cochlea
 Vestibule: Utricle, Saccule, Semicircular Canals
 Vestibulocochlear Nerve --> CNS
 EXTERNAL EAR
1. Auricle (pinna)
• Auricle is composed of thin plate of elastic cartilage covered by layer of skin
• The funnel like curves of auricle collects sound wave and direct them to middle ear
• The deepest depression called concha which is partly covered by two small projection; tragus
in front and antitragus behind
2. External auditory meatus
• External auditory meatus is slightly curved canal of about 2.5 cm ling extending from floor
of concha to tympanic membrane (ear drum)
• It contains two glands - sebaceous gland and ceruminous gland
• Ceruminous gland are modified sweat gland that secretes cerumen (wax)
3. Tympanic membrane
• It is oval bluish grey membranous structure located on medial part of auditory meatus
• It separates external and middle ear
• It is a stretchable organ capable of vibrating
• It receive sound wave and amplify into appropriate magnitude
 MIDDLE EAR
1. Tympanic cavity
• Tympanic cavity is a narrow irregular air-filled space in temporal bone
• It is separated from external ear by tympanic membrane and medially from inner ear
by bony wall
• It has two opening; oval window and round window
• In the anterior wall of tympanic cavity is an auditory tube, commonly called as
Eustachian tube
2. Eustachian tube
• Eustachian tube leads downward from tympanic cavity to nasopharynx
• It is about 4 cm long
• The mucus membrane lining the nasopharynx is also continuous with membrane of
tympanic cavity through eustachian tube
• As a result of which infection from nose or throat may spread to middle ear causing
Otitis media
• The main purpose of Eustachian tube is to maintain equal air pressure on both side of
tympanic membrane by permitting air to pass from nasal cavity to middle ear
3. Ear ossicles:
• The three ear ossicles (malleus, incus and stapes) form a chain of lever
extending from tympanic membrane to inner ear
• The ear ossicles transmit sound wave from ear drum to inner ear
• Ear ossicles communicate the ear drum with internal ear through fenestra
ovalis ( oval window)
•The ear ossicles are;
 Malleus: it is hammer shaped bone whose handle is in contact with
tympanic membrane and the head form movable joint with incus
 Incus: it is middle anvil shaped bone
 Stapes: it is medial stirrup shaped bone that head articulate with incus and
foot plate fits into oval window. Stapes is the smallest bone in human
body
INNER EAR
1. Bony labyrinth:
•It is a series of hollow channels
•It is filled with perilymph
•Bony labyrinth consists of vestibule, three semicircular canal and spirally
coiled cochlea
2. Membranous labyrinth:
•It is surrounded by bony labyrinth. It is filled with endolymph and also
contains the sensory receptors for hearing and equilibrium
•Membranous labyrinth consists of three semi-circular ducts as well as utricle,
saccule and cochlear duct, all are filled with endolymph enclosed by bony
labyrinth
•It also contains sensory receptors (cristae, ampullaris maculae and organ of
corti)
•Semi-circular dusts are located within semicircular canal of bony labyrinth.
•Perilymph is located in space between duct and bony wall of semicircular
canal
 BONY LABYRINTH

Semi-circular
Vestibule Cochlea
canal
• Two sacs: • Associated with • It is spiral
utriculus and equilibrium or shaped
sacculus balancing resembling
• Utriculus and • Three snail’s shell,
sacculus is semicircular wounded 2 ¾
connected by canals arises times
utriculosaccular from utriculus; • It is the main
duct anterior, hearing organ
posterior and
lateral canals
Vestibule:
•Vestibule is the expanded part nearest the middle ear.
•It has two sacs; larger upper utriculus and smaller lower sacculus.
•The sensory sport (macula) is present in both utriculus and sacculus.
•The macula consists of otolith membrane having otolith (small crystal of
CaCO3) which concerned with balancing of body.
Semicircular canal:
•It is associated with equilibrium or balancing not for hearing.
•The anterior and posterior canals opens at one end to form common duct
called crus commune
•One end of each semicircular canal is swollen to form ampulla.
Cochlea:
•It is connected with cerebrum by vestibulo-cochlear nerve.
•Cochlea is divided into 3 spiral fluid filled chamber.
Scala vestibuli
• It communicate with vestibule
• It contains perilymph

Cochlear duct
• It contains endolymph.
• Scala media or cochlear duct is separated from scala vestibuli by
vestibular membrane and from scala tympani by basilar membrane
• The basilar membrane has organ of corti formed about 24000
receptor auditory cells

Scala tympani
• It ends at round window of tympanic cavity.
• It contains perilymph
ORGAN OF CORTI
•It is the organ for hearing which is
rested on basilar membrane
•Organ of corti is an organized structure
consisting of hair cells and supporting
cells
•Hair cells are arranged in rows along
the length
•The outer hair cells are arranged in
three rows and inner hair cells are
arranged in single row
•Each outer and inner hair cell have
sensory hair which are specialized
microvilli
 AUDITARY NERVE
• Cochlear nerve (also auditory o
r acoustic neuron) is one of two
parts of the
vestibulocochlear nerve, a
cranial nerve present in
amniotes, the other part being
the vestibular nerve
• Cochlear nerve carries auditory
sensory information from the
cochlea of the inner ear directly
to the brain
 EXPERIMENT

Observation: The specimen provided were identified as Ear.