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The conical cartilage of the cat's middle ear

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

Mahmoud A. Khalil  and
Myron Spector
Mahmoud A. Khalil
Affiliation:
Cairo, Egypt and Atlanta, Georgia, USA Dr. Mahmoud Abdel-Raouf Khalil, 15 Darih Saad Street—Elmonira. Cairo—Egypt.
Myron Spector*
Affiliation:
Cairo, Egypt and Atlanta, Georgia, USA
*
M. Spector, Ph.D., Department of Orthopaedics, Empory University School of Medicine, 69 Butler Street, Atlanta, GA 30303U.S.A.
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Abstract

The object of this study was to investigate the anatomy, histology, and possible function of a conical structure found in the middle ear of the cat. This conical structure lies across the dorso-caudal compartment of the middle ear. It is directly related to the course of the chorda tympani nerve in the middle ear. Its base is attached by fibrous tissue to the dorso-caudal segment of the tympanic bone adjacent to the tympanic membrane. Its apex rests on the promontory just rostral to the round window niche. Histologically, it is cartilaginous tissue enveloped by a mudous membrane with no trace of bone. Portions of some conical cartilage specimens display extensive calcification. A previous hypothesis suggests that this structure conducts high frequency sounds directly from the tympanic membrane to the round window membrane. This seems unlikely because its length is shorter than the distance between the tympanic membrane and round window membrane. The conical cartilage may be a vestigial remnant of the second arch bar (Reichert's cartilage).

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 99 , Issue 9 , September 1985 , pp. 831 - 838
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1985

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References

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