ANATOMY OF

LABYRINTH

Prepared by:
Dr Inam Ur Rehman
PGR ENT
SZMC/SZMH
 INTRODUCTION
 INNER EAR CONTAINS –
(a) ORGAN OF HEARING
(b) ORGAN OF BALANCE

 PLACED INSIDE THE LABYRINTH , IN THE PETROUS

PART OF THE TEMPORAL BONE.

 THEY ALL CONTAIN SENSORY EPITHELIA(SUPPORTING

AND MECHANOSENSORY CELLS ):-
1. ORGAN OF CORTI (IN COCHLEA) – HEARING ORGAN
2. UTRICLE AND SACCULE – STATIC BALANCE
3. CRISTAE OF THE SCC –DYNAMIC BALANCE.
 LABYRINTH
OSSEOUS (BONY)
 Hard & outer bony shell
 It consists of
a) Vestibule (utricle &
saccule)
b) Semicircular canal
c) Cochlea
 Gap between osseus and
membranous is filled with
perilymph (similar to ECF)
MEMBRANOUS
 Placed inside bony labyrinth
 It consists of :
a) Vestibular apparatus
b) Cochlear duct
o This is filled with
endolymph (similar to
cytosol)
 VESTIBULE
 It is the central part of the bony labyrinth.
 It lies medial to the middle ear cavity & its lateral wall opens into m.ear at
the fenestra vestibuli which is closed by stapes footplate.
 Ovoid in shape but flattened transversely (5mm*3mm).
 SPHERICAL RECESS :present on medial wall contains saccule
perforated by many minutes holes (macula cribosa media)
transmitting fine branches of vestibular nerve.
 VESTIBULAR CREST : present behind the recess. The anterior
end forms the vestibular pyramid. This divides to below to enclose
COCHLEAR RECESS.
 ELLIPTICAL RECESS: post sup to vestibular crest in the roof and
the medial wall of vestibule containing utricle.
 The vestibular aqueduct opens below the elliptical recess.
 In the post part of the vestibule are the 5 openings of the scc and
the anterior part leads in the scala vestibuli of cochlea.
 SEMICIRCULAR CANALS
 There are 3 semicircular canals :
(a) Anterior (b)posterior (c) lateral
 They all are compressed side to side and each forms approx
2/3 rd of a circle.
 They all are unequal in length but similar in diameter i.e. 0.8mm
except at the AMPULLA which is twice the diameter.
 Lie in plane at right angles.
 Each have two ends ampullated and non ampulated
 All three ampulated ends and the non ampulated end of lateral
SCC open independently into the vestibule.
 The non ampulated end of anterior and posterior joins to form
crus commune (4mm long opening into medial part of vestibule)
 Superior scc is situated transverse to the axis of pterous part of
temporal bone.
COCHLEA
 Derived from greek word (cochlos for snail)
 5mm from base to apex & 9mm around its base
 2.5 to 2.75 turns around a central pyramid of bone = MODIOLOUS.
 The base of MODIOLUS is directed towards internal auditory meatus
& transmits nerves to cochlea.
 PROMONTORY =Basal turn of cochlea produces a bulge in medial
wall of middle ear
 Thin plate of bone winding spirally around MODIOLUS like a
thread of screw known as BONY SPIRAL LAMINA.
 ROSENTHAL’S CANAL: spiral ganglion are situated in this
canal which runs along the osseous spiral lamina
 Bony cochlea is divivded into :
1. SCALA VESTIBULI : closed by stapes footplate and contains perilymph
2. SCALA TYMPANI : closed by secondary TM & contains perilymph.
Connected to sub archanoid space through Aqueduct of cochlea.
3. SCALA MEDIA : also known as COCHLEAR DUCT & containsendolymph.
 Scala vestibuli & scala tympani connects to each
other at the apex of cochlea HELICOTREMA.
COCHLEAR DUCT
 It is a blind coiled tube & made up of 3 walls :
1. BASILAR MEMBRANE
2. REISSINERS MEMBRANE
3. STRIA VASCULARIS
 ORGAN OF CORTI

 Discovered by Alfonso Giacomo Gaspare Corti.

 Components of organ of Corti :
 Hair cells : imp receptor of hearing & transduce sound energy
into electrical energy

Inner hair cells Outer hair cells

Single row
Richly supplied by afferent
cochlear fibers & are more
important in transmision of
auditory impulse
Arranged in 3-4 layers
Mainly receives efferent
innervation from olivary complex
& are connected with modulating
the function of inner hair cells.
 TUNNEL OF CORTI : Formed by inner & outer rods &
contains fluid called as Cortilymph.
 SUPPORTING CELLS : Dieters cells &cells of hansen.
 TECTORIAL MEMBRANE : contains gelatinous matrix with
delicate fibers. The shearing force btw the hair cells & tectorial
membrane produces stimulus to hair cells.
 UTRICLE & SACCULE
 Utricle lies in the posterior part of the bony vestibule &
receives the 5 openings of semicircular cannals
 Connected to Saccule via Utricosaccular duct
 The macula of the utricle lies mainly in the horizontal plane
on the inferior surface of the utricle and plays an important
role in determining orientation of head when the head is
upright (force like gravity)
 The Macula of the SACCULE is located mainly in a vertical
plane & signals head orientation when the person is lying
down.
 The epithelial surface of each macula is characterized by hair cells with
numerous stercocilia & one prominent kinocilum. These cells are covered
by gelatinous structure known as OTOLITHIC or statoconial membrane
and embedded in it are several small crystals k/a otoconia (linear acc of
head will cause the otolithic memb to lag behind as a result of inertia
produced by its increased density & will lead to activation or inhibition of
the mechanosesitive hair cells)
 COMPOSITION OF INNER EAR FLUID
PERILYMPH ENDOLYMPH
PRESENT IN SCALA VESTIBULI SCALATYMPANI SCALA MEDIA
(membranous labyrinth )

PRODUCTION SLIGHT DIFFERENCES Marginal cells of stria

IN S.VESTIBULI – Plasma via endothelial vascularis & dark cell of
boundary of cochlear blood vessels. vestibule
In S. TYMPANI – derived from SUB ABSORPTION :
ARACHNOID SPACE via cochlear canaliculus. ENDOLYMPHATIC SAC

K+ 5mM 150mM
Na+ 150mM 2mM
Cl- 120mM 130mM
Ca+ 1.5mM 20uM
PROTEIN 200-400 mg/dl 126 mg/dl
The high potassium is
important for
mechanosensory hair cell
function.
GLUCOSE 85mg/dl 10-40 mg/dl
ENDOLYMPHATIC DUCT & SAC
 Formed by the union of two ducts one forms the utricle
& another from the saccule.
 Passes through the vestibular aqueduct
 Terminal part is dilated to form Endolymphatic sac.
 INTERNAL ACOUSTIC MEATUS
 About 1 cm longand passes into the petrous part of temporal bone in
a lateral direction.
 IAM is separated from the internal ear by a vertical plate divided by
a transverse (Falciform) crest.
 5 nerves pass through openings in vertical plate above and below
the transverse crest:
 Facial & sup vestibular nerve : superior to the crest. Facial lies
anterior to the sup vestibular nerve and is seprated by bills barr
(vertical ridge).
The sup vestibular area also contains nerve to utricle , ant & lat scc.
 The nervus intermedius lies between facial motor root and the sup
vest nerve to which it may be adherent.
 Cocohlear nerve and inferior vestibular nerve.
Inferior vestibular area also contains opening for saccular nerves and a
single hole k/a FORAMEN SINGULARAE which tranmits nerve to
post scc.
VASCULAR SUPPLY :
ANTERIOR INFERIOR CEREBELLAR ARTERY

Labyrinthine artery

Divides at IAM

Antreior vestibular artery.

Common cochlear
(UTRICLE & LAT & SUP CANAL)

Vestibulo cochlear Main cochlear artery

(COCHLEAR 80%)

Cochlear branch (20%)

Post vestibular artery.

(SACCULE & POST CANAL
 VENOUS DRAINAGE
 Veins draining the VESTIBULE and
semicircular cannals accompany the
arteries.
 Internal auditory vein

 Vein of cochlear aqueduct

 Vein of vestibular aqueduct

drain into inferior petrosal & sigmoid sinus

 INNERVATION

 The vestibulocochlear (8th ) provides special

sensory innervations to the inner ear
 After leaving IAM it divides into

Cochlear Vestibular

Spirals towards cochlea where it give It again divides into superior & inferior
branches throughout the coils of canal with their own vestibular ganglion.

Fibers then branch off & form spiral Superior ganglion fibers innervate
ganglia of corti in the modiolus of ampulla of ant & lateral scc & the utricle
cochlea
Nerve fibers of these ganglia travel Inferior ganglion fibers supply ampulla of
through the osseous spiral lamina & the post & saccule
their dendrites communicate with
stercocilia of organ of corti
THANK YOU !