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Stapes
The ''stapes'' or stirrup is a bone in the middle ear of humans and other animals which is involved in the conduction of sound vibrations to the inner ear. This bone is connected to the oval window by its annular ligament, which allows the footplate to transmit sound energy through the oval window into the inner ear. The ''stapes'' is the smallest and lightest bone in the human body, and is so-called because of its resemblance to a stirrup ( la, Stapes). Structure The ''stapes'' is the third bone of the three ossicles in the middle ear and the smallest in the human body. It measures roughly , greater along the head-base span. It rests on the oval window, to which it is connected by an annular ligament and articulates with the '' incus'', or anvil through the incudostapedial joint. They are connected by anterior and posterior limbs ( la, crura). Development The ''stapes'' develops from the second pharyngeal arch during the sixth to eighth week of embryological life. Th ...
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Stapes Human Ear
The ''stapes'' or stirrup is a bone in the middle ear of humans and other animals which is involved in the conduction of sound vibrations to the inner ear. This bone is connected to the oval window by its annular ligament, which allows the footplate to transmit sound energy through the oval window into the inner ear. The ''stapes'' is the smallest and lightest bone in the human body, and is so-called because of its resemblance to a stirrup ( la, Stapes). Structure The ''stapes'' is the third bone of the three ossicles in the middle ear and the smallest in the human body. It measures roughly , greater along the head-base span. It rests on the oval window, to which it is connected by an annular ligament and articulates with the ''incus'', or anvil through the incudostapedial joint. They are connected by anterior and posterior limbs ( la, crura). Development The ''stapes'' develops from the second pharyngeal arch during the sixth to eighth week of embryological life. The ...
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Otosclerosis
Otosclerosis is a condition of the middle ear where portions of the dense enchondral layer of the bony labyrinth remodel into one or more lesions of irregularly-laid spongy bone. As the lesions reach the stapes the bone is resorbed, then hardened ( sclerotized), which limits its movement and results in hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo or a combination of symptoms. The term otosclerosis is something of a misnomer: much of the clinical course is characterized by lucent rather than sclerotic bony changes, so the disease is also known as otospongiosis. Etymology The word ''otosclerosis'' derives from Greek ὠτός (''ōtos''), genitive of οὖς (''oûs'') "ear" + σκλήρωσις (''sklērōsis''), "hardening". Presentation The primary form of hearing loss in otosclerosis is conductive hearing loss (CHL) whereby sounds reach the ear drum but are incompletely transferred via the ossicular chain in the middle ear, and thus partly fail to reach the inner ear (cochlea). This can ...
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Ossicles
The ossicles (also called auditory ossicles) are three bones in either middle ear that are among the smallest bones in the human body. They serve to transmit sounds from the air to the fluid-filled labyrinth ( cochlea). The absence of the auditory ossicles would constitute a moderate-to-severe hearing loss. The term "ossicle" literally means "tiny bone". Though the term may refer to any small bone throughout the body, it typically refers to the malleus, incus, and stapes (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) of the middle ear. Structure The ossicles are, in order from the eardrum to the inner ear (from superficial to deep): the malleus, incus, and stapes, terms that in Latin are translated as "the hammer, anvil, and stirrup". * The malleus ( la, "hammer") articulates with the incus through the incudomalleolar joint and is attached to the tympanic membrane ( eardrum), from which vibrational sound pressure motion is passed. * The incus ( la, "anvil") is connected to both ...
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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 shape ...
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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 shape ...
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Columella (auditory System)
In the auditory system, the columella contributes to hearing in amphibians, reptiles and birds. The columella form thin, bony structures in the interior of the skull and serve the purpose of transmitting sounds from the eardrum. It is an evolutionary homolog of the stapes, one of the auditory ossicles in mammals. In many species, the extracolumella is a cartilaginous structure that grows in association with the columella. During development, the columella is derived from the dorsal end of the hyoid arch. Evolution The evolution of the columella is closely related to the evolution of the jaw joint. It is an ancestral homolog of the stapes, and is derived from the hyomandibular bone of fishes. As the columella is derived from the hyomandibula, many of its functional relationships remain the same. The columella resides in the air-filled tympanic cavity of the middle ear. The footplate, or proximal end of the columella, rests in the oval window. Sound is conducted through th ...
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Stapedius
The stapedius is the smallest skeletal muscle in the human body. At just over one millimeter in length, its purpose is to stabilize the smallest bone in the body, the stapes or strirrup bone of the middle ear. Structure The stapedius emerges from a pinpoint foramen or opening in the apex of the pyramidal eminence (a hollow, cone-shaped prominence in the posterior wall of the tympanic cavity), and inserts into the neck of the stapes. Nerve supply The stapedius is supplied by the nerve to stapedius, a branch of the facial nerve. Function The stapedius dampens the vibrations of the stapes by pulling on the neck of that bone. As one of the muscles involved in the acoustic reflex it prevents excess movement of the stapes, helping to control the amplitude of sound waves from the general external environment to the inner ear. Clinical significance Paralysis of the stapedius allows wider oscillation of the stapes, resulting in heightened reaction of the auditory ossicles t ...
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Incudostapedial Joint
Incudostapedial joint is a small, synovial ball-and-socket joint between the '' incus'' (anvil) and the '' stapes'' (stirrup). The joint's function is to transfer vibrations between the two ossicles. The incudostapedial joint lies between the long leg of the incus (long crus, or ''crus longum incudis'') and the head of the ''stapes'' (''caput stapedis''). The long leg moves with the rest of the ''incus'' and a small knob, the lenticular process, articulates with the head of the ''stapes''. Biophysics Although the joint is synovial, it nonetheless allows only for a very limited, linear range of motion. All of the ossicles move almost as a single unit. As the transfer of kinetic energy from the incident sound waves to the perilymph of the inner ear involves a loss of energy, the ossicular system functions to compensate for the loss by decreasing the lever ratio between the surface of the eardrum and base of the ''stapes'', but also through the ratio between the ''manubrium malle ...
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Incudostapedial Joint
Incudostapedial joint is a small, synovial ball-and-socket joint between the '' incus'' (anvil) and the '' stapes'' (stirrup). The joint's function is to transfer vibrations between the two ossicles. The incudostapedial joint lies between the long leg of the incus (long crus, or ''crus longum incudis'') and the head of the ''stapes'' (''caput stapedis''). The long leg moves with the rest of the ''incus'' and a small knob, the lenticular process, articulates with the head of the ''stapes''. Biophysics Although the joint is synovial, it nonetheless allows only for a very limited, linear range of motion. All of the ossicles move almost as a single unit. As the transfer of kinetic energy from the incident sound waves to the perilymph of the inner ear involves a loss of energy, the ossicular system functions to compensate for the loss by decreasing the lever ratio between the surface of the eardrum and base of the ''stapes'', but also through the ratio between the ''manubrium malle ...
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Inner Ear
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 detection and balance. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the temporal bone of the skull with a system of passages comprising two main functional parts: * The cochlea, dedicated to hearing; converting sound pressure patterns from the outer ear into electrochemical impulses which are passed on to the brain via the auditory nerve. * The vestibular system, dedicated to balance The inner ear is found in all vertebrates, with substantial variations in form and function. The inner ear is innervated by the eighth cranial nerve in all vertebrates. Structure The labyrinth can be divided by layer or by region. Bony and membranous labyrinths The bony labyrinth, or osseous labyrinth, is the network of passages with bony walls lined with periosteum. The three major parts of the bony labyrinth are the ...
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Incus
The ''incus'' (plural incudes) or anvil is a bone in the middle ear. The anvil-shaped small bone is one of three ossicles in the middle ear. The ''incus'' receives vibrations from the ''malleus'', to which it is connected laterally, and transmits these to the '' stapes'' medially. The ''incus'' is so-called because of its resemblance to an anvil ( la, Incus). Structure The incus is the second of the ossicles, three bones in the middle ear which act to transmit sound. It is shaped like an anvil, and has a long and short crus extending from the body, which articulates with the malleus. The short crus attaches to the posterior ligament of the incus. The long crus articulates with the stirrup at the lenticular process. The superior ligament of the incus attaches at the body of the incus to the roof of the tympanic cavity. Function Vibrations in the middle ear are received via the tympanic membrane. The malleus, resting on the membrane, conveys vibrations to the incus. This i ...
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Hyomandibula
The hyomandibula, commonly referred to as hyomandibular one( la, os hyomandibulare, from el, hyoeides, "upsilon-shaped" (υ), and Latin: mandibula, "jawbone") is a set of bones that is found in the hyoid region in most fishes. It usually plays a role in suspending the jaws and/or operculum ( teleostomi only). It is commonly suggested that in tetrapods (land animals), the hyomandibula evolved into the columella ( stapes). Evolutionary context In jawless fishes a series of gills opened behind the mouth, and these gills became supported by cartilaginous elements. The first set of these elements surrounded the mouth to form the jaw. There are ample evidences For example: (1) both sets of bones are made from neural crest cells (rather than mesodermal tissue like most other bones); (2) both structures form the upper and lower bars that bend forward and are hinged in the middle; and (3) the musculature of the jaw seem homologous to the gill arches of jawless fishes. (Gilbert 20 ...
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