Guten Tag!

Anatomy of The Ear

Vittorio P. Pidlaoan, MD
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-
Head and Neck Surgery
East Avenue Medical Center
WMAP image of the CMB temperature anisotropy. This is the
image of the oldest fossil in the universe.
The Holmdel Horn Antenna on which Penzias
and Wilson discovered the cosmic microwave
background
 Major Divisions of the Ear
Peripheral Mechanism Central Mechanism

VIII
Outer Middle Inner
Cranial Brain
Ear Ear Ear
Nerve
 Outer Ear

Pinna

External
Auditory
Meatus
 Auricle (Pinna)
 The visible portion that is commonly
referred to as "the ear"
 Collects sound
 Helps in sound localization
 Most efficient in directing high frequency
sounds to the eardrum
 Each individual's pinna creates a
distinctive imprint on the acoustic wave
traveling into the auditory canal
 External Auditory Canal
 Extends from the pinna to the tympanic
membrane
• About 26 millimeters (mm) in length and 7 mm
in diameter in adult ear.
• Size and shape vary among individuals.
 Approximately 1¼ inch in length
 “S” shaped
 Protects the eardrum
 Lined with cerumen glands
 Outer 1/3rd cartilage; inner 2/3rds
mastoid bone
 External Auditory Canal as a
Resonator
 Provides about 10 decibels (dB) of gain to
the eardrum at around 3,300 Hertz (Hz).
 Increases sound pressure at the tympanic
membrane by as much as 5-6 dB (due to
acoustic resonance)
 The net effect of the head, pinna, and ear
canal is that sounds in the 2,000 to 4,000
Hz region are amplified by 10 to 15 dB.
• Noises in this range are the most hazardous to
hearing
• Sensitivity to sounds greatest in this frequency
region
 Outer Ear Resonance
 Influence of
pinna (p)
 Influence of ear
canal (m)
 Combine
influence (t)
 At 3000 Hz, the
final amplification
(t) is 20 dB
 Cerumen
 The purpose of wax:
• Repel water
• Trap dust, sand particles,
micro-organisms, and other
debris
• Moisturize epithelium in ear
canal
• Odor discourages insects
• Antibiotic, antiviral,
antifungal properties
• Cleanse ear canal
 Middle Ear

Tympanic Cavity
Tympanic Membrane
Ossicles
Middle Ear Muscles
Eustachian Tube
Mastoid
 Mastoid Process
 Bony ridge behind
the auricle
 Provides support to
the external ear
and posterior wall
of the middle ear
cavity
 Function of Middle Ear
 Conduction
• Conduct sound from the outer ear to the inner ear
 Protection
• Creates a barrier that protects the middle and inner
areas from foreign objects
• Middle ear muscles may provide protection from loud
sounds
 Transducer
• Converts acoustic energy to mechanical energy
• Converts mechanical energy to hydraulic energy
 Amplifier
• Transformer action of the middle ear
• only about 1/1000 of the acoustic energy in air would be
transmitted to the inner-ear fluids (about 30 dB hearing
loss)
 Middle Ear
Tympanum:
Timpani, or kettledrums, are
musical instruments in the
percussion family.
A type of drum, they consist of
a skin called a head stretched
over a large bowl commonly
made of copper.
They are played by striking the
head with a special drum stick
called a timpani stick.
Timpani evolved from military
drums to become a staple of
the classical orchestra in the
17th century.
Today, they are used in many
types of musical ensembles
including classical orchestra
Tympanic Membrane
 Thin membrane
 Forms boundary
between outer and
middle ear
 Vibrates in
response to sound
 Changes acoustical
energy into
mechanical energy
 Tympanic Membrane
 Separates the outer ear from
the middle ear
 Creates a barrier that protects
the middle and inner areas
from foreign objects
 Cone-shaped in appearance
• about 17.5 mm in diameter
 The eardrum vibrates in
response to sound pressure
waves.
 The membrane movement is
incredibly small
• as little as one-billionth of a
centimeter
 Which is Right and Which is Left?

AD AS

Who’s Tympanic Membranes are

These? 
 Eustachian Tube
 Lined with mucous
membrane
 Connects the front
wall of the middle
ear with to the
back of the throat
(nasopharynx)
 Operates like a
valve, which opens
during swallowing
and yawning
 Eustachian Tube
 Equalizes the pressure on either side of
the eardrum, which is necessary for
optimal hearing.
 Without this function, a difference
between the static pressure in the
middle ear and the outside pressure
may develop, causing the eardrum to
displace inward or outward
 This reduces the efficiency of the

middle ear and less acoustic energy

will be transmitted to the inner ear.
 The Ossicular Chain
 A: Malleus
 B: Incus
 C: Stapes
• Ossicles are smallest
bones in the body
• Act as a lever
system
• Footplate of stapes
enters oval window
of the cochlea
 Transformer/Amplifier
 Transform the vibrating motion of the
eardrum into motion of the stapes.
 The middle ear enhances the transfer of
acoustical energy in two ways:
• The area of the eardrum is about 17
times larger than the oval window
 The effective pressure (force per unit

area) is increased by this amount.

• The ossicles produce a lever action that
further amplifies the pressure
 Transformer/Amplifier
 Without the transformer action of
middle ear, about 1/1000 of acoustic
energy in air transmitted to inner-ear
fluids (about 30 dB loss).
 Malleus and incus vibrate together,

transmitting the sound waves from

the eardrum to the footplate of the
stapes (this pushes the oval window
in and out)(mechanical energy)
 Middle Ear Muscles
 Tensor tympani
• Attached to malleus
• Innervated by V, trigeminal nerve
 Stapedius
• Attached to stapes
• Innervated by VII, facial nerve
 Middle Ear Muscle Function:
• Help maintain ossicles in proper
position
• Protect inner ear from excessive
sound levels
 When ear exposed to sound levels
above 70 dB, the muscles contract,
decreasing amount of energy
transferred to inner ear
• This protective reflex termed
"acoustic reflex"
 Ligaments of Middle Ear
 Function
• restrict and confine
the effect of
ossicles to act as a
lever
• restrict movements
to reduce the
chance of damage
to the inner ear
• prevents distortion
of sound
 Inner Ear

Auditory

Vestibular
Function of Inner Ear
 Convert mechanical
sound waves to
neural impulses that
can be recognized by
the brain for:
• Hearing
• Balance
 Structures of the Inner Ear
 Cochlea - Snail-shaped
organ with a series of
fluid-filled tunnels;
converts mechanical
energy into electrical
energy
 Cochlea
 The cochlea
resembles a snail
shell and spirals for
about 2 3/4 turns
around a bony
column
 Within the cochlea
are three canals:
• Scala Vestibuli
• Scala Tympani
• Scala Media
 Structures of the Inner Ear
 Oval Window – located at the
footplate of the stapes; when the
footplate vibrates, the cochlear
fluid is set into motion
 Round Window – functions as
the pressure relief port for the
fluid set into motion initially by the
movement of the stapes in the
oval window
 Organ of Corti
 The end organ of
hearing; contains
stereocilia and hair
cells.
Organ of Corti
Organ of Corti
 Hair Cells
 Frequency-specific
High pitch sounds = base of cochlea
Low pitch sounds = apex of cochlea
 When the basilar membrane moves,
a shearing action between the
tectorial membrane and the organ
of Corti causes hair cells to bend
OHC vs. IHC Function
OHC—With and Without Prestin
 No other
cells except
OHC
 Prestin is the

motor
protein of
mammalian
OHCs.
 It is highly

expressed in
OHC, and is
not
expressed in
nonmotile
IHC.
Vestibular System
 Consists of three semi-
circular canals
 Shares fluid with the
cochlea
 Controls balance
 No part in hearing
process
Balance
 Linear motion
 Rotary motion
 Central Auditory System
 8th Cranial Nerve or “Auditory
Nerve” carries signals from cochlea
to brain
 Fibers of the auditory nerve are

present in the hair cells of the inner

ear
 Auditory Cortex: Temporal lobe

of the brain where sound is

perceived and analyzed
Central Auditory Path
 How Sound Travels Through
The Ear...
Acoustic energy, in the form of sound waves, is channeled into
the ear canal by the pinna. Sound waves strike the tympanic
membrane, causing it to vibrate like a drum, and changing it
into mechanical energy. The malleus, which is attached to the
tympanic membrane, starts the ossicles into motion. (The
middle ear components mechanically amplify sound). The
stapes moves in and out of the oval window of the cochlea
creating a fluid motion. The fluid movement within the
cochlea causes membranes in the Organ of Corti to shear
against the hair cells. This creates an electrical signal which is
sent via the Auditory Nerve to the brain, where sound is
interpreted!
Danke!
QUESTIONS
What is the purpose of the pinna?

A. Cosmetics
B. Sound collector
C. Same side localization
D. A and B
E. A, B and C
 Another name for pinna?
A. External auditory meatus
B. External auditory canal
C. Ear lobe
D. Auricle
E. None of the above
 Cerumen should be routinely
removed from the ear canal?

A. True

B. False
 The function of the middle ear is
to?

A. Cause middle ear infections in

young children
B. Amplify sounds
C. Interpret sounds
D. Analyze sounds
E. None of the above
The Eustachian tube is a part of the
middle ear?

A. No, it is a part of the inner ear

B. No, it isn’t part of the hearing

mechanism
C. Yes

D. I don’t know
 Which is not true?

A. There are two middle ear muscles

B. There are three ossicles

C. There are three layers of tympanic

membrane tissue
D. The acoustic reflex occurs from soft sounds

E. The stapes is the smallest bone in the

human body
The middle ear:
A. Converts acoustic energy to hydraulic
B. Converts hydraulic energy to
mechanical
C. Converts acoustic energy to
mechanical
D. Converts acoustic energy to electrical
E. Converts mechanical to electrical
 The pars tensa portion of the
TM:
A. Consists of 2 layers of tissue
B. Consists of 4 layers of tissue
C. Consists of 1 layer of tissue
D. Consists of 3 layers of tissue
E. Consists of 5 layers of tissue
 The Eustachian tube:
A. Opens when one yawns
B. Opens when one smiles
C. Opens when one blinks
D. It is always open
E. Never opens
The middle ear amplifies sound:
A. About 15 dB
B. About 25 dB
C. About 35 dB
D. About 20 dB
E. About 30 dB
 The VII cranial nerve
innervates:
A. Tensor tympani muscle
B. Incus
C. Stapedial muscle
D. Malleus
E. Stapes
 The tensor tympani:
A. Innervated by the facial nerve
B. Innervated by the trigeminal nerve
C. Innervated by the VII cranial nerve
D. Innervated by the VIII cranial nerve
E. Innervated by the VI cranial nerve
The correct order of the ossicles
from the TM to inner ear is?

A. Anvil, hammer, stapes

B. Hammer, incus, anvil

C. Hammer, anvil, stapes

D. Stapes, anvil, hammer

E. Malleus, stapes, incus

 The function of the inner ear:

A. Balance
B. Hearing

C. Touch

D. All the above

E. A and B
 Which is true about the inner
ear and balance?
A. The semicircular canals
detect linear motion
B. The utricle and saccule detect
linear motion
C. The cochlea detects linear
motion
D. The utricle and saccule detect

rotary motion
 The channel that houses the
organ of Corti:
A. Scala tympani
B. Scala media

C. Scala vestibuli

D. Semicircular canals

E. B and D
 Which cells are motile?

A. Brain cells
B. Inner hair cells

C. Outer hair cells

D. B and C

E. None of the above

The hearing nerve is located in:

A. Eustachian tube
B. External auditory meatus

C. Internal auditory meauts

D. Organ of Corti

E. Tympani
 The auditory nerve is which
cranial nerve:

A. VI
B. VII

C. VIII

D. V

E. X
 The Auditory Nerve is:

A. V Cranial Nerve
B. VI Cranial Nerve

C. VII Cranial Nerve

D. VIII Cranial Nerve

E. IX Cranial Nerve