Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsParts of Middle Ear AnatomyMiddle Ear FunctionConditions Associated With the Middle EarMiddle Ear TestsSummary
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Parts of Middle Ear Anatomy
Middle Ear Function
Conditions Associated With the Middle Ear
Middle Ear Tests
Summary
The middle ear is also called the tympanic cavity or tympanum.
This article will go over the anatomy of the middle ear. You will learn about all the parts of the middle ear as well as their functions.
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Middle ear anatomy can be broken down into different parts: the tympanic membrane, the tympanic cavity, the ossicles, and the auditory (eustachian) tube.
Each has its own function and they all work together to help you hear.
A Look Inside the Ear Canal
Tympanic Membrane
The dimensions of the tympanic membrane are approximately 1 millimeter (mm) in thickness and 10 mm in diameter. It is normally slightly concave. The tympanic membrane has a tense portion (where it is stretched tight), called the pars tensa, and a loose section that is more flaccid that’s called the pars flaccida.
The structural makeup of the tympanic membrane can be succinctly described as a mixture of epithelial cells and collagen fibers.
Eardrum Anatomy
The Tympanic Cavity
Medial to the tympanic membrane is the tympanic cavity, which essentially makes up the middle ear. A healthy middle ear is filled with air.
It is a rectangular space with four walls, a ceiling, and a floor. The lateral wall consists of the tympanic membrane. The roof separates the middle ear from the middle cranial fossa. The floor separates the middle ear from thejugular vein.
What are the muscles of the middle ear?The middle ear has two muscles: the tympani muscle and thestapediusmuscle.The tensor tympani muscle attaches to several other parts of the middle ear and helps protect the ear from loud sounds.The stapedius muscle is a very small muscle attached to the stapes in the middle ear and it helps reduce the loudness of sounds. If a person has a problem with this part of the middle ear, they might be hypersensitive to noise.
What are the muscles of the middle ear?
The middle ear has two muscles: the tympani muscle and thestapediusmuscle.The tensor tympani muscle attaches to several other parts of the middle ear and helps protect the ear from loud sounds.The stapedius muscle is a very small muscle attached to the stapes in the middle ear and it helps reduce the loudness of sounds. If a person has a problem with this part of the middle ear, they might be hypersensitive to noise.
The middle ear has two muscles: the tympani muscle and thestapediusmuscle.
The posterior wall is a bony partition that separates the middle ear and the mastoid air cells. There is a superior hole in the posterior wall (called aditus to the mastoid antrum), which allows communication between the middle ear and the mastoid air cells.
Eustachian Tube Anatomy
The Ossicles
Sometimes the three bones are referred to as the ossicular chain. The chain carries vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the oval window. The stapes is the smallest bone in the human body.
Anatomy of the Ossicles
The Auditory (Eustachian) Tube
The auditory tube runs from the anterior wall of the middle ear to the nasopharynx (back of the throat). The auditory tube ventilates the middle ear and also clears it of mucus and unwanted debris.
The inside of the tube is lined with cilia, small hairs that sweep mucus out of the tube where it drains into the back of the throat. The auditory tube of a child is much smaller in diameter than that of an adult and lies more horizontally. An adult auditory tube is approximately 31 mm to 38 mm in length.
The main function of the middle ear is to carry sound waves from the outer ear to the inner ear, which contains the cochlea and where sound input can be communicated to the brain. Sound waves are funneled into the outer ear and strike the tympanic membrane, causing it to vibrate.
These vibrations are carried through the three ossicles, and the stapes strike the oval window, which separates the middle ear from the inner ear. When the oval window is hit, it causes waves in the fluid inside the inner ear and sets into motion a chain of events leading to the interpretation of sound as we know it.
Anatomy and Function of the Cochlea
Ruptured Eardrum
Common symptoms include hearing loss or tinnitus, ear drainage, and pain. Small perforations will heal on their own, but severely damaged eardrums sometimes must be surgically repaired.
What Is Ear Barotrauma?
Middle Ear Infections
Symptoms include ear pain and fever, which may get worse at night. Middle ear infections sometimes require antibiotics, and pain can be managed using over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen.
What Causes Middle Ear Infections?
Fluid in the Middle Ear
Fluid in the ear is another common condition that frequently affects the middle ear. Like middle ear infections, it is more common in children than adults.
It is usually the result of auditory tube dysfunction, a failure of the auditory tube to drain and ventilate properly. The cause of auditory tube dysfunction is being clogged with mucus from infection (such as a common cold) or another condition such as allergies.
Why Do I Have Fluid in My Ear?
Otosclerosis
Otosclerosis is a condition that affects the ossicular chain in the middle ear and leads to hearing loss. It is not always known what causes the condition, but it may be hereditary or associated with chronic untreated fluid in the ear.
Diagnostic tests used to determine a condition of the middle ear may include:
Which Tests Are Used to Check Your Hearing?
Each part of the middle ear has its own function. The anatomy of the middle ear ensures its function, such as allowing you to hear. Problems with any of the parts of the middle ear, like injury or infection, can affect how it works.
What Causes Ear Pain?
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Teach Me Anatomy.The Middle Ear.Luers JC, Hüttenbrink KB.Surgical anatomy and pathology of the middle ear.J Anat. 2016;228(2):338-353. doi:10.1111/joa.12389Radiopedia.Tensor tympani muscle.Radiopedia.Stapedius muscle.Spineli EA, Studart LPC, Heimer MV, Katz CRT.Maloclusões e disfunção da tuba auditiva em crianças: uma revisão integrativa.Rev CEFAC. 2016;18(4):960-964. doi:10.1590/1982-021620161844116Johns Hopkins Medicine.How the Ear Works.Mount Sinai.Ruptured Eardrum.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Ear Infection.ENT Health.Understanding Ear Fluid.Vestibular.org.Otosclerosis.American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.Tests of the Middle Ear.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Teach Me Anatomy.The Middle Ear.Luers JC, Hüttenbrink KB.Surgical anatomy and pathology of the middle ear.J Anat. 2016;228(2):338-353. doi:10.1111/joa.12389Radiopedia.Tensor tympani muscle.Radiopedia.Stapedius muscle.Spineli EA, Studart LPC, Heimer MV, Katz CRT.Maloclusões e disfunção da tuba auditiva em crianças: uma revisão integrativa.Rev CEFAC. 2016;18(4):960-964. doi:10.1590/1982-021620161844116Johns Hopkins Medicine.How the Ear Works.Mount Sinai.Ruptured Eardrum.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Ear Infection.ENT Health.Understanding Ear Fluid.Vestibular.org.Otosclerosis.American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.Tests of the Middle Ear.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Teach Me Anatomy.The Middle Ear.Luers JC, Hüttenbrink KB.Surgical anatomy and pathology of the middle ear.J Anat. 2016;228(2):338-353. doi:10.1111/joa.12389Radiopedia.Tensor tympani muscle.Radiopedia.Stapedius muscle.Spineli EA, Studart LPC, Heimer MV, Katz CRT.Maloclusões e disfunção da tuba auditiva em crianças: uma revisão integrativa.Rev CEFAC. 2016;18(4):960-964. doi:10.1590/1982-021620161844116Johns Hopkins Medicine.How the Ear Works.Mount Sinai.Ruptured Eardrum.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Ear Infection.ENT Health.Understanding Ear Fluid.Vestibular.org.Otosclerosis.American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.Tests of the Middle Ear.
Teach Me Anatomy.The Middle Ear.
Luers JC, Hüttenbrink KB.Surgical anatomy and pathology of the middle ear.J Anat. 2016;228(2):338-353. doi:10.1111/joa.12389
Radiopedia.Tensor tympani muscle.
Radiopedia.Stapedius muscle.
Spineli EA, Studart LPC, Heimer MV, Katz CRT.Maloclusões e disfunção da tuba auditiva em crianças: uma revisão integrativa.Rev CEFAC. 2016;18(4):960-964. doi:10.1590/1982-021620161844116
Johns Hopkins Medicine.How the Ear Works.
Mount Sinai.Ruptured Eardrum.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Ear Infection.
ENT Health.Understanding Ear Fluid.
Vestibular.org.Otosclerosis.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.Tests of the Middle Ear.
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