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39.5: Key Terms

  • Page ID
    90835
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    antihistamine
    medication that relieves allergy symptoms, including stuffy nose and watery eyes
    barotrauma
    trauma that occurs when the air pressure in the middle ear does not equalize with ambient pressure
    benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
    a condition of the inner ear where otoliths migrate into the inner ear fluid, causing a false sense of spinning
    cerumenolytic
    a medication that softens and loosens ear wax to ease removal
    cochlear nerve
    one of two bifurcated nerves branching from the vestibulocochlear nerve; it transmits signals from the cochlea to the temporal lobe in the brain so sound can be heard
    decongestant
    a medication that shrinks swollen blood vessels and tissues in the nose to reduce nasal congestion and aid in relieving ear congestion
    eardrum
    a thin flap that separates the external or outer ear and middle ear; it vibrates to sound, which initiates an intricate relay throughout the ear structures traversing from the bones of the middle ear to the inner ear’s cochlea where hearing occurs; also known as the tympanic membrane
    Eustachian tube
    connects the middle ear to the nasal-sinus cavity
    external auditory canal
    path from the external ear to the middle ear
    incus
    one of three small bones in the middle ear; it transmits vibrations from the malleus to the stapes
    malleus
    one of three small bones in the middle ear; it is located closest to the tympanic membrane and transmits auditory oscillations to the incus
    Ménière’s disease
    occurs when fluid accumulates in the inner ear, which can be triggered by allergies, head injury, migraine headache; or viral infection; characterized by vertigo and hearing loss
    ossicles
    three small bones in the middle ear, consisting of the malleus, incus, and stapes, that transmit oscillatory vibrations from one small bone to another; the stapes sends sound to the inner ear in a highly coordinated relay system
    otitis externa
    inflammation and/or infection of the external ear canal characterized by itchiness, pain, and a red ear canal
    otitis media
    an inflammation or infection of the middle ear; also known as swimmer’s ear
    otolith
    a calcium carbonate crystal that normally resides in the base of the semicircular canal that can dislodge into the semicircular canal fluid and lead to bouts of vertigo
    stapes
    one of three small bones in the middle ear; it moves fluid into the cochlea in the inner ear
    tinnitus
    an ear disorder characterized by ringing or other annoying sounds in the ear
    tympanic cavity
    an air-filled compartment separated from the external ear by the tympanic membrane; it communicates with the pharynx via the Eustachian tube
    vestibular nerve
    one of two bifurcated nerves branching from the vestibulocochlear nerve; it controls motion and position
    vestibulocochlear nerve
    the eighth cranial nerve, which transmits sound from the inner ear to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe of the brain.

    This page titled 39.5: Key Terms is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by OpenStax.

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