Ear, external
Ear, external: There are three sections of the ear. They are the external ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The external ear looks complicated but it is functionally the simplest part of the ear. It consists of the pinna or auricle (the visible projecting portion of the ear), the external acoustic meatus (the outside opening of the ear canal), and the external ear canal that leads to the ear drum. In sum, there is the pinna, the meatus and the canal. The external ear’s only function is to concentrate air vibrations onto the ear drum and make the drum vibrate. The external ear is also called the outer ear.
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Ear, foreign object in: A foreign object in the external ear canal. Foreign objects are often placed in the ear by young children or by accident while trying to clean or scratch the ear. There is often an accompanying external ear infection. Removal of an object from the ear can be very difficult and should […]
- Ear, inner
Ear, inner: A highly complex structure whose essential component for hearing is the membranous labyrinth, where the fibers of the auditory nerve connect the ear to the brain. The membranous labyrinth is a system of communicating sacs and ducts (tubes) filled with fluid (endolymph), and it is lodged within a cavity called the bony labyrinth. […]
- Ear, internal
Ear, internal: There are three sections of the ear. They are the external ear, the middle ear, and the internal ear. The internal ear is far and away the most highly complex. The essential component of the internal ear for hearing is the membranous labyrinth, located inside the bony cochlea, where the fibers of the […]
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Ear, low-set: A minor anomaly involving an ear situated down below its normal location. The ear is low-set when the helix (of the ear) meets the cranium at a level below that of a horizontal plane through both inner canthi (the inside corners of the eyes). .
- Ear, middle
Ear, middle: A part of the ear that consists of the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and, beyond it, a cavity (tympanum). This cavity is connected to the pharynx (nasopharynx) via a canal known as the Eustachian tube. The middle ear cavity also contains a chain of three little bones, the ossicles (the malleus, incus, and stapes), […]