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Encyclopedia > Auditory tube
Anatomy of the human ear.
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Anatomy of the human ear.

The Eustachian tube (or auditory tube) is a tube that links the pharynx to the middle ear. In adults the Eustachian tube is approximately 35 mm long. It is named after the 16th century anatomist Eustachius. Some modern medical books call this the pharyngotympanic tube. human ear anatomy I made this myself Iain 05:39 29 Jun 2003 (UTC) version without labels File links The following pages link to this file: Ear Categories: GFDL images ... human ear anatomy I made this myself Iain 05:39 29 Jun 2003 (UTC) version without labels File links The following pages link to this file: Ear Categories: GFDL images ... The pharynx is the part of the digestive system and respiratory system of many animals immediately behind the mouth and in front of the esophagus. ... For an alternative meaning, see ear (botany). ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter), symbol mm is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Bartolomeo Eustachi (b. ...

Contents


Functions

Pressure equalization

Normally the Eustachian tube is closed, but it can open to let a small amount of air through to equalize the pressure between the middle ear and the atmosphere. When this happens we hear a small pop, an event familiar to airplane travelers or drivers in mountainous regions. Yawning or swallowing can pull on muscles in the neck, causing the tube to open. Some people are born with the ability to contract just these muscles voluntarily, similar to people who can wiggle their ears. Without this airway, the middle ear would be isolated from the atmosphere, and could be easily damaged by pressure changes.


When descending in an aircraft, increase in atmospheric pressure can lock the Eustachian tube. The tube can be reopened by the Valsalva maneuver or politzerization. A Valsalva maneuver is any attempted exhalation against a closed glottis or against a closed mouth and nose. ... Politzerization is a medical procedure derived from a medical experiment first performed by Adam Politzer of Vienna, that involved studying the air movement through the Eustachian tube by connecting a manometer to the external auditory canal meatus and another manometer in the pharynx. ...


Mucus drainage

The Eustachian tube also drains mucus from the middle ear. Upper airway infections or allergies can cause the Eustachian tube to become swollen, trapping bacteria and causing ear infections. Earaches are more common in children because the tube is more horizontal, making the movement of fluid harder. Otitis media (also known as glue ear) is an inflammation of the middle ear, usually associated with a buildup of fluid. ...


Embryologic development

The Eustachian tube is derived from the first pharyngeal pouch, which during embryogenesis forms a recess called the tubotympanic sulcus. The sulcus deepens to meet the first pharyngeal cleft forming the tympanic membrane. The distal part of the tubotympanic sulcus gives rise to the tympanic cavity, while the proximal tubular structure becomes the Eustachian tube. A pharyngeal pouch is a pulsion diverticulum of the pharyngeal mucosa through Killians dehiscence. ... Embryogenesis is the process by which the embryo is formed and develops. ... The tympanum or tympanic membrane, colloquially known as eardrum, is a thin membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear. ... The tympanic cavity is a small cavity surrounding the bones of the inner ear. ...


Muscles

There are four muscles associated with the function of the eustachian tube:

Sensory system - Auditory system - edit
Outer ear: Pinna | Ear canal 

Middle ear: Eardrum | Ossicles (MalleusIncus & Stapes) | Stapedius | Tensor tympani | Eustachian tube The Levator veli palatini is a muscle of the human body. ... The tensor tympani muscle arises from the auditory tube and inserts onto the handle of the malleus, damping down vibration in the ossicles and so reducing the amplitude of sounds. ... The Tensor veli palatini muscle (or Tensor palati) is a muscle of the human body. ... (See also sense) A sensory system is a part of the nervous system that consists of sensory receptors, neural pathways, and those parts of the brain responsible for processing the information. ... The auditory system is the sensory system for the sense of hearing. ... The pinna is the visible part of the ear that resides outside of the head. ... Anatomy of the human ear. ... For an alternative meaning, see ear (botany). ... The tympanic membrane, colloquially known as the eardrum, is a thin membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. ... The ossicles (also called auditory ossicles) are the three smallest bones in the human body. ... The malleus is hammer-shaped small bone or ossicle of the middle ear which connects with the incus and is attached to the inner surface of the eardrum. ... The incus is the anvil-shaped small bone or ossicle in the middle ear. ... stapes The stapes or stirrup is the stirrup-shaped small bone or ossicle in the middle ear which attaches the incus to the fenestra ovalis, the oval window which is adjacent to the vestibule of the inner ear. ... The stapedius is the smallest striated muscle in the human body. ... The tensor tympani muscle arises from the auditory tube and inserts onto the handle of the malleus, damping down vibration in the ossicles and so reducing the amplitude of sounds. ...


Inner ear: Cochlea (Scala vestibuliScala media & Scala tympani) | Oval window | Helicotrema | Round window | Basilar membrane | Reissner's membrane | Organ of Corti | Hair cells | Stereocilia For an alternative meaning, see ear (botany). ... Cross section of the cochlea. ... Scala vestibuli is a perilymph filled cavity inside the cochlea of the inner ear. ... Scala media is a endolymph filled cavity inside the cochlea, located in between the scala tympani and the scala vestibuli, separated by the basilar membrane and Reissners membrane(the vestibular membrane) respectively. ... Scala tympani is the name of one of the perilymph filled cavities in the cochlear labyrinth. ... The helicotrema is the part of the cochlear labyrinth where the scala tympani and the scala vestibuli meet. ... The round window is one of two membranes that separates the inner ear from the middle ear. ... Cross section of the cochlea. ... Reissners membrane is a membrane inside the cochlea of the inner ear, it separates scala media from scala vestbuli and together with the basilar membrane it creates a compartment in the cochlea filled with perilymph, which is important for the function of the organ of Corti inside the scala... A cross section of the cochlea illustrating the Organ of Corti. ... Hair Cell Hair cells are the sensory cells of both the auditory system and the vestibular system in all vertebrates. ... Stereocilia are mechanosensing organelles of hair cells, which respond to fluid motion or fluid pressure changes in numerous types of animals for various functions, primarily hearing. ...


Brain: Cochlear nerve VIII → Cochlear nuclei → Superior olivary nuclei → Inferior colliculi → Medial geniculate nuclei → Primary auditory cortex Comparative brain sizes In animals, the brain, or encephalon (Greek for in the head), is the control center of the central nervous system. ... The Cochlear nerve (n. ... The vestibulocochlear nerve is the eighth of twelve cranial nerves and also known as the auditory nerve. ... The paired inferior colliculi together with the superior colliculi form the eminences of the corpora quadrigemina. ... The medial geniculate nucleus is a nucleus of the thalamus that acts as a relay for auditory information. ... Brodmann areas 41 & 42 of the human brain. ...


  Results from FactBites:
 
X. The Organs of the Senses and the Common Integument. 1d. 3. The Auditory Ossicles. Gray, Henry. 1918. Anatomy of the ... (1910 words)
Articulations of the Auditory Ossicles (articulationes ossiculorum auditus).
It invests the auditory ossicles, and the muscles and nerves contained in the tympanic cavity; forms the medial layer of the tympanic membrane, and the lateral layer of the secondary tympanic membrane, and is reflected into the tympanic antrum and mastoid cells, which it lines throughout.
The branches of distribution of the tympanic plexus are supplied to the mucous membrane of the tympanic cavity; a branch passes to the fenestra vestibuli, another to the fenestra cochleæ, and a third to the auditory tube.
Eustachian tube - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (330 words)
The Eustachian tube (or auditory tube) is a tube that links the pharynx to the middle ear.
Normally the Eustachian tube is closed, but it can open to let a small amount of air through to equalize the pressure between the middle ear and the atmosphere.
The Eustachian tube is derived from the first pharyngeal pouch, which during embryogenesis forms a recess called the tubotympanic sulcus.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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