Middle ear

The Middle ear Hardly any other organ in the human body has a rather complicated anatomy. Both its unique anatomy and its unusual location make the middle ear particularly susceptible to serious inflammation.

What is the middle ear?

The Middle ear is located between the eardrum and the inner ear. As an essential component of the human hearing organ, it flows into the cochlea.

Without the tympanic cavity, however, the middle ear could not function properly.

However, the middle ear is not just seen as an integral part of the human body. Numerous vertebrates also have a middle ear.

Anatomy & structure

The tympanic cavity is considered by leading medical professionals to be the largest component of the Middle ear viewed. The air-containing cavity is covered by a thin layer of mucous membrane and is located between the petrous bone and the temporal bone.

The tympanic cavity is connected to the nasopharynx via the ear trumpet. Inside the middle ear, three different auditory ossicles are responsible for the proper functionality of the middle ear. In addition to the hammer, both the anvil and the stirrup pick up the incoming sound waves and pass them on to the inner ear.

A connection to the pharynx is established via the Eustachi tube. This is the only way to adapt the pressure inside the middle ear to the ambient pressure.

Functions & tasks

The Middle ear is exposed to a multitude of demands in modern society. The middle ear must primarily transmit the incoming sound waves to the cochlear organ.

In addition to the transmission of sound, impedance matching is also one of the tasks of the middle ear. In modern medicine, the term impedance refers to the resistance that the middle ear opposes to the incoming sound. This is the only way to guarantee a loss-free transmission of the incoming sound waves. In addition to the impedance adjustment, the middle ear is also responsible for initiating an acoustic reflex.

An acoustic reflex always appears when the middle ear is exposed to particularly high sound levels of more than 85 decibels. Since the plate of the stapes no longer presses so strongly against the oval window as part of the acoustic reflex, the incoming sound level can be reduced by around 10 decibels. However, if the incoming sound exceeds a value of more than 100 decibels, the acoustic reflex also leads to a contraction of the eardrum. In this way, the incoming sound can be reduced by a further 20 decibels.

In addition to the tasks already mentioned, the middle ear is also responsible for balancing the pressure. This is the only way to guarantee optimal vibration conditions. In this way, optimal transmission of the incoming sound can also be guaranteed when overcoming extreme height differences. Due to its complex anatomy, the middle ear is particularly susceptible to various diseases.

Diseases

It is not uncommon Middle ear significantly impaired in its function in the context of a tympanic effusion. The disease, which is often caused by viruses, leads to a massive accumulation of liquid secretion in the tympanic cavity. One of the most common diseases in the middle ear is otitis media.

In most cases, otitis media is caused by invading pathogens. Otitis media is divided into both purulent otitis media and serous otitis media. Both forms of otitis media can take an acute or a chronic course. If there is an otitis media, the transmission of the incoming sound waves can be noticeably impaired. An otitis media generally requires extensive and reliable therapy.

However, if there is no therapy, serious complications such as particularly severe hearing loss can occur. A hearing loss can also be caused by otosclerosis. In the context of otosclerosis, increasing ossification of the middle ear often leads to serious hearing defects.

In addition to the causes already mentioned, a tumor in the middle ear may also be responsible for suddenly appearing symptoms such as earache. Experienced doctors often find serious injuries in the area of ​​the middle ear. Often the injuries lead to a painful tear in the eardrum.

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Typical & common ear diseases

• Eardrum injuries
• Ear flow (otorrhea)
• Otitis media
• Ear canal inflammation
• Mastoiditis
• Ear furuncle