Auditory tube

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Auditory tube

The Auditory tube, also known as the Eustachian tube or pharyngotympanic tube, is a tube that links the pharynx to the middle ear. In humans and other land vertebrates, it controls the pressure within the middle ear, making it equal with the air pressure outside the body.

Pronunciation

  • Auditory tube: /ˈɔːdɪtɔːri tuːb/
  • Eustachian tube: /juːˈsteɪʃən tuːb/
  • Pharyngotympanic tube: /ˌfærɪŋgoʊtaɪmˈpænɪk tuːb/

Etymology

The term "Eustachian" in "Eustachian tube" is derived from the name of the Italian anatomist Bartolomeo Eustachi who discovered the tube. The term "auditory" is derived from the Latin word "audire", meaning "to hear". The term "pharyngotympanic" is a combination of "pharyngo-", referring to the pharynx, and "-tympanic", referring to the tympanic membrane or eardrum.

Function

The primary function of the auditory tube is to equalize the pressure in the middle ear with the pressure in the atmosphere. This is important for the proper functioning of the tympanic membrane and the three tiny bones, or ossicles, found in the middle ear.

Related Terms

  • Otitis media: An infection or inflammation of the middle ear.
  • Patulous Eustachian tube: A physical disorder where the Eustachian tube, which is normally closed, instead stays intermittently open.
  • Barotrauma: Physical damage to body tissues caused by a difference in pressure between an air space inside or beside the body and the surrounding fluid.

External links

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