| Middle Ear:
Engineering; diseases |
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| • | Perfect
design to transmit |
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| tiny
vibrations from air to |
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| fluid
inside cochlea |
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| • | Stapedius
muscle: damps |
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| loud
sounds, 10 ms |
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| latency. |
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| • | CONDUCTIVE
(vs. SENSORINEURAL) hearing |
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| loss |
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| – | Scar
tissue due to middle-ear infection (otitis media) |
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| – | Ossification
of the ligaments (otosclerosis) |
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| • | Rinne
test: compare loudness of (e.g.) tuning fork in air |
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| vs.
placed against the bone just behind the auricle. |
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| • | Surgical
intervention usually highly effective |
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