#ANATOMY OF AUDITORY TUBE SKIN#

The main structures in the middle ear are the ossicles and the eustachian tube.Ĭrossing the middle ear is an osseous chain formed by three tiny bones or “ossicles” called the malleus, incus, and stapes. The middle ear is an air-filled cavity divided by a slight constriction into a lower chamber called the tympanic cavity and an upper chamber called the epitympanum. It has the shape of a flattened cone with its apex directed inwards and separates the outer ear from the middle ear. The tympanic membrane, also known as the eardrum, is a thin translucent membrane that covers the end of the external auditory canal.

Fine hair and modified sweat glands that produce ear wax line the external auditory canal. The outer two-thirds of the external auditory canal is made of cartilage and the inner third is bone. The external auditory canal is a tube extending from the concha to the tympanic membrane. The auricle has several rudimentary muscles that attach it to the skull and scalp. The concha is partially covered by two small projections: the tragus in the front, and the antitragus behind. The deepest portion of the auricle which leads into the external auditory canal is called the concha. The cartilage is molded into ridges and furrows to form an irregularly shaped, hollow funnel.

#ANATOMY OF AUDITORY TUBE SKIN#

The auricle comprises an upper portion made up of elastic cartilage covered tightly by the skin and a lower fleshy portion known as the lobule. The outer ear consists of the auricle or pinna - the visible portion of the ear that projects from the side of the head - and a short external auditory canal. Anatomically, the ear can be divided into the outer ear, the tympanic membrane, the middle ear, and the inner ear. It converts sound waves into electrochemical signals that are interpreted by the brain and helps you maintain your sense of balance. The human ear is an organ concerned with hearing and equilibrium.

Anatomy of auditory tube