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Portion of the ear internal to the eardrum, and external to the oval window of the inner ear
Middle ear
A diagram of the anatomy of the human ear:
Brown is outer ear.
Red is middle ear.
Purple is inner ear.
Details
Nerve
Glossopharyngeal nerve
Identifiers
Latin
auris media
MeSH
D004432
TA98
A15.3.02.001
TA2
6877
FMA
56513
Anatomical terminology
[edit on Wikidata]
This article is one of a series documenting the anatomy of the
Human ear
Outer ear
Auricle
Ear canal
Middle ear
Tympanic membrane
Ossicles
Malleus
Incus
Stapes
Inner ear
Vestibules
Utricle
Saccule
Cochlea
Semicircular canals
v
t
e
The middle ear is the portion of the ear medial to the eardrum, and distal to the oval window of the cochlea (of the inner ear).
The mammalian middle ear contains three ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes), which transfer the vibrations of the eardrum into waves in the fluid and membranes of the inner ear. The hollow space of the middle ear is also known as the tympanic cavity and is surrounded by the tympanic part of the temporal bone. The auditory tube (also known as the Eustachian tube or the pharyngotympanic tube) joins the tympanic cavity with the nasal cavity (nasopharynx), allowing pressure to equalize between the middle ear and throat.
The primary function of the middle ear is to efficiently transfer acoustic energy from compression waves in air to fluid–membrane waves within the cochlea.
Middleear barotrauma (MEBT), also known to underwater divers as ear squeeze and reverse ear squeeze, is an injury caused by a difference in pressure between...
parts: the outer ear, the middleear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of the pinna and the ear canal. Since the outer ear is the only visible...
Middleear implants work by improving the conduction of sound vibrations from the middleear to the inner ear. There are two types of middleear devices:...
The ear canal (external acoustic meatus, external auditory meatus, EAM) is a pathway running from the outer ear to the middleear. The adult human ear canal...
expanding growth consisting of keratinizing squamous epithelium in the middleear and/or mastoid process. Cholesteatomas are not cancerous as the name may...
and decompression events. Barotrauma generally manifests as sinus or middleear effects, lung overpressure injuries and injuries resulting from external...
tetrapods, both the middleear and the ear canal are normally filled with air. Unlike the air of the ear canal, however, the air of the middleear is not in direct...
separates the external ear from the middleear. Its function is to transmit sound from the air to the ossicles inside the middleear, and thence to the oval...
The inner ear (internal ear, auris interna) is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In vertebrates, the inner ear is mainly responsible for sound...
system: the outer ear, the middleear, and the inner ear. The outer ear includes the pinna, the visible part of the ear, as well as the ear canal, which terminates...
waves anywhere along the pathway through the outer ear, tympanic membrane (eardrum), or middleear (ossicles). If a conductive hearing loss occurs in...
The ossicles (also called auditory ossicles) are three bones in either middleear that are among the smallest bones in the human body. They serve to transmit...
is a general term for inflammation in ear or ear infection, inner ear infection, middleear infection of the ear, in both humans and other animals. When...
diseases of the middleear. One of the two main types is acute otitis media (AOM), an infection of rapid onset that usually presents with ear pain. In young...
process that resulted in the formation of the bones of the mammalian middleear. These bones, or ossicles, are a defining characteristic of all mammals...
The outer ear, external ear, or auris externa is the external part of the ear, which consists of the auricle (also pinna) and the ear canal. It gathers...
injury. The middleear is a cavity that is filled with air. The tympanic membrane separates the middleear from the external ear. The middleear is joined...
Ear clearing or clearing the ears or equalization is any of various maneuvers to equalize the pressure in the middleear with the outside pressure, by...
vibrations to the eardrum, increasing the sound pressure in the middle frequency range. The middle-ear ossicles further amplify the vibration pressure roughly...
third to the eighth week the face and neck develop. The inner ear, middleear and outer ear have distinct embryological origins. At about 22 days into development...
Other important research characteristics include the evolution of the middleear bones, erect limb posture, a bony secondary palate, fur, hair, and warm-bloodedness...
the middleear. Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs)—faint high-frequency tones that are produced in the inner ear and can be measured in the ear canal...
Ear pain, also known as earache or otalgia, is pain in the ear. Primary ear pain is pain that originates from the ear. Secondary ear pain is a type of...
stabilize the smallest bone in the body, the stapes or stirrup bone of the middleear. The stapedius emerges from a pinpoint foramen or opening in the apex...
myringotomy to keep the middleear aerated for a prolonged period of time, typically to prevent accumulation of fluid in the middleear. The tube itself is...
where the lesion causing the hearing loss is found (outer ear, middleear, inner ear, auditory nerve and/or central nervous system). If an audiologist...
detecting predators due to the way the outer, middle, and inner ear muscles coordinate with one another. The ear muscles also aid in maintaining balance and...
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