Eustachian Tube
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Eustachian Tube
In anatomy, the Eustachian tube, also known as the auditory tube or pharyngotympanic tube, is a tube that links the nasopharynx to the middle ear, of which it is also a part. In adult humans, the Eustachian tube is approximately long and in diameter. It is named after the sixteenth-century Italian anatomist Bartolomeo Eustachi. In humans and other tetrapods, both the middle ear and the ear canal are normally filled with air. Unlike the air of the ear canal, however, the air of the middle ear is not in direct contact with the atmosphere outside the body; thus, a pressure difference can develop between the atmospheric pressure of the ear canal and the middle ear. Normally, the Eustachian tube is collapsed, but it gapes open with swallowing and with positive pressure, allowing the middle ear's pressure to adjust to the atmospheric pressure. When taking off in an aircraft, the ambient air pressure goes from higher (on the ground) to lower (in the sky). The air in the middle ear ...
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Middle Ear
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, 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. Structure Ossicles The middle ear contains three tiny bones known as the ossicles: '' malleus'', '' incus'', and ''stapes''. The ossicles were given their Latin names for their distinctive shapes; they ar ...
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Inferior Nasal Concha
The inferior nasal concha (inferior turbinated bone or inferior turbinal/turbinate) is one of the three paired nasal conchae in the nose. It extends horizontally along the lateral wall of the nasal cavity and consists of a lamina of spongy bone, curled upon itself like a scroll, (''turbinate'' meaning inverted cone). The inferior nasal conchae are considered a pair of facial bones. As the air passes through the turbinates, the air is churned against these mucosa-lined bones in order to receive warmth, moisture and cleansing. Superior to inferior nasal concha are the middle nasal concha and superior nasal concha which both arise from the ethmoid bone, of the cranial portion of the skull. Hence, these two are considered as a part of the cranial bones. It has two surfaces, two borders, and two extremities. Structure Surfaces The medial surface is convex, perforated by numerous apertures, and traversed by longitudinal grooves for the lodgement of vessels. The lateral surface is con ...
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Petrous Part Of The Temporal Bone
The petrous part of the temporal bone is pyramid-shaped and is wedged in at the base of the skull between the sphenoid and occipital bones. Directed medially, forward, and a little upward, it presents a base, an apex, three surfaces, and three angles, and houses in its interior, the components of the inner ear. The petrous portion is among the most basal elements of the skull and forms part of the endocranium. Petrous comes from the Latin word ''petrosus'', meaning "stone-like, hard". It is one of the densest bones in the body. The petrous bone is important for studies of ancient DNA from skeletal remains, as it tends to contain extremely well-preserved DNA. Base The base is fused with the internal surfaces of the squamous and mastoid parts. Apex The apex, which is rough and uneven, is received into the angular interval between the posterior border of the great wing of the sphenoid bone and the basilar part of the occipital bone; it presents the anterior or internal openin ...
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Transverse Section
The transverse plane (also known as the horizontal plane, axial plane and transaxial plane) is an anatomical plane that divides the body into superior and inferior sections. It is perpendicular to the coronal and sagittal planes. List of clinically relevant anatomical planes * Transverse ''thoracic plane'' * '' Xiphosternal plane'' (or xiphosternal junction) * ''Transpyloric plane'' * ''Subcostal plane'' * '' Umbilical plane'' (or transumbilical plane) * '' Supracristal plane'' * ''Intertubercular plane'' (or transtubercular plane) * ''Interspinous plane'' Clinically relevant anatomical planes with associated structures * The transverse ''thoracic plane'' ** Plane through T4 & T5 vertebral junction and sternal angle of Louis. ** Marks the: *** Attachment of costal cartilage of rib 2 at the sternal angle; *** Aortic arch (beginning and end); *** Upper margin of SVC; *** Thoracic duct crossing; *** Tracheal bifurcation; *** Pulmonary trunk bifurcation; * The '' xiphosternal ...
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Torus Tubarius
The base of the cartilaginous portion of the Eustachian tube (auditory tube) lies directly under the mucous membrane of the nasal part of the pharynx, where it forms an elevation or cushion, the torus tubarius or torus of the auditory tube, behind the pharyngeal orifice of the tube. The torus tubarius is very close to the tubal tonsil, which is sometimes also called the ''tonsil of (the) torus tubarius''. Two folds run posteriorly and anteriorly: *posteriorly, the vertical fold of mucous membrane, the salpingopharyngeal fold, stretches from the lower part of the torus tubarius; it contains the Salpingopharyngeus muscle which originates from the superior border of the medial lamina of the cartilage of the auditory tube, and passes downward and blends with the posterior fasciculus of the palatopharyngeus muscle. *anteriorly, the second and smaller fold, the salpingopalatine fold, smaller than the salpingopharyngeal fold, contains some fibers of muscle, called ''salpingopalatine musc ...
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Pharynx
The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the oesophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its structure varies across species. The pharynx carries food and air to the esophagus and larynx respectively. The flap of cartilage called the epiglottis stops food from entering the larynx. In humans, the pharynx is part of the digestive system and the conducting zone of the respiratory system. (The conducting zone—which also includes the nostrils of the nose, the larynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles—filters, warms and moistens air and conducts it into the lungs). The human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections: the nasopharynx, oropharynx, and laryngopharynx. It is also important in vocalization. In humans, two sets of pharyngeal muscles form the pharynx and determine the shape of its lumen. They are arranged as an ...
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Mucous Membrane
A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It is mostly of endodermal origin and is continuous with the skin at body openings such as the eyes, eyelids, ears, inside the nose, inside the mouth, lips, the genital areas, the urethral opening and the anus. Some mucous membranes secrete mucus, a thick protective fluid. The function of the membrane is to stop pathogens and dirt from entering the body and to prevent bodily tissues from becoming dehydrated. Structure The mucosa is composed of one or more layers of epithelial cells that secrete mucus, and an underlying lamina propria of loose connective tissue. The type of cells and type of mucus secreted vary from organ to organ and each can differ along a given tract. Mucous membranes line the digestive, respiratory and reproductive trac ...
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Elastic Fibrocartilage
Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints as articular cartilage, and is a structural component of many body parts including the rib cage, the neck and the bronchial tubes, and the intervertebral discs. In other taxa, such as chondrichthyans, but also in cyclostomes, it may constitute a much greater proportion of the skeleton. It is not as hard and rigid as bone, but it is much stiffer and much less flexible than muscle. The matrix of cartilage is made up of glycosaminoglycans, proteoglycans, collagen fibers and, sometimes, elastin. Because of its rigidity, cartilage often serves the purpose of holding tubes open in the body. Examples include the rings of the trachea, such as the cricoid cartilage and carina. Cartilage is composed of specialized cells called chondrocytes that produce a large amount of collagenous extracellular matrix, abundant ground substance that is rich in proteoglyca ...
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University Of Michigan Medical School
Michigan Medicine (University of Michigan Health System or UMHS before 2017) is the wholly owned academic medical center of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Medicine includes the University of Michigan Medical School, with its faculty group practice and research laboratories; the university's affiliated hospitals and health centers, including the University of Michigan Hospital, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital, and approximately 40 health centers and home care services across southeast Michigan; the clinical programs of the University of Michigan School of Nursing; and the activities of the Michigan Health Corporation, through which U-M partners with other medical centers and hospitals to provide specialized care throughout Michigan. History In 1869 the University of Michigan opened the first hospital in the country owned and operated by a university, in a house in Ann Arbor originally b ...
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Temporal Bone
The temporal bones are situated at the sides and base of the skull, and lateral to the temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex. The temporal bones are overlaid by the sides of the head known as the temples, and house the structures of the ears. The lower seven cranial nerves and the major vessels to and from the brain traverse the temporal bone. Structure The temporal bone consists of four parts— the squamous, mastoid, petrous and tympanic parts. The squamous part is the largest and most superiorly positioned relative to the rest of the bone. The zygomatic process is a long, arched process projecting from the lower region of the squamous part and it articulates with the zygomatic bone. Posteroinferior to the squamous is the mastoid part. Fused with the squamous and mastoid parts and between the sphenoid and occipital bones lies the petrous part, which is shaped like a pyramid. The tympanic part is relatively small and lies inferior to the squamous part, anterior to the mast ...
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Petrous Part Of The Temporal Bone
The petrous part of the temporal bone is pyramid-shaped and is wedged in at the base of the skull between the sphenoid and occipital bones. Directed medially, forward, and a little upward, it presents a base, an apex, three surfaces, and three angles, and houses in its interior, the components of the inner ear. The petrous portion is among the most basal elements of the skull and forms part of the endocranium. Petrous comes from the Latin word ''petrosus'', meaning "stone-like, hard". It is one of the densest bones in the body. The petrous bone is important for studies of ancient DNA from skeletal remains, as it tends to contain extremely well-preserved DNA. Base The base is fused with the internal surfaces of the squamous and mastoid parts. Apex The apex, which is rough and uneven, is received into the angular interval between the posterior border of the great wing of the sphenoid bone and the basilar part of the occipital bone; it presents the anterior or internal openin ...
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Squamous Part Of Temporal Bone
The squamous part of temporal bone, or temporal squama, forms the front and upper part of the temporal bone, and is scale-like, thin, and translucent. Surfaces Its outer surface is smooth and convex; it affords attachment to the temporal muscle, and forms part of the temporal fossa; on its hinder part is a vertical groove for the middle temporal artery. A curved line, the ''temporal line'', or ''supramastoid crest'', runs backward and upward across its posterior part; it serves for the attachment of the temporal fascia, and limits the origin of the temporalis muscle. The boundary between the squamous part and the mastoid portion of the bone, as indicated by traces of the original suture, lies about 1 cm. below this line. Projecting from the lower part of the squamous part is a long, arched process, the ''zygomatic process''. This process is at first directed lateralward, its two surfaces looking upward and downward; it then appears as if twisted inward upon itself, and runs ...
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