The vestibule is the central part of the

bony labyrinth The bony labyrinth (also osseous labyrinth or otic capsule) is the rigid, bony outer wall of the inner ear in the temporal bone. It consists of three parts: the vestibule, semicircular canals, and cochlea. These are cavities hollowed out of the ...

in the

inner ear The inner ear (internal ear, auris interna) is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In vertebrates, the inner ear is mainly responsible for sound detection and balance. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the ...

, and is situated medial to the

eardrum In the anatomy of humans and various other tetrapods, the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane or myringa, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. Its function is to transmit changes in pres ...

, behind the

cochlea The cochlea is the part of the inner ear involved in hearing. It is a spiral-shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth, in humans making 2.75 turns around its axis, the modiolus (cochlea), modiolus. A core component of the cochlea is the organ of Cort ...

, and in front of the three

semicircular canal The semicircular canals are three semicircular interconnected tubes located in the innermost part of each ear, the inner ear. The three canals are the lateral, anterior and posterior semicircular canals. They are the part of the bony labyrinth, ...

s. The name comes from the Latin ', literally an entrance hall.

Structure

The vestibule is somewhat oval in shape, but flattened transversely; it measures about 5 mm from front to back, the same from top to bottom, and about 3 mm across. In its lateral or tympanic wall is the

oval window The oval window (or ''fenestra vestibuli'' or ''fenestra ovalis'') is a connective tissue membrane-covered opening from the middle ear to the cochlea of the inner ear. Vibrations that contact the tympanic membrane travel through the three ossicl ...

, closed, in the fresh state, by the base of the

stapes The ''stapes'' or stirrup is a bone in the middle ear of humans and other tetrapods which is involved in the conduction of sound vibrations to the inner ear. This bone is connected to the oval window by its annular ligament, which allows the f ...

and annular ligament. On its medial wall, at the forepart, is a small circular depression, the recessus sphæricus, which is perforated, at its anterior and inferior part, by several minute holes (macula cribrosa media) for the passage of filaments of the acoustic nerve to the

saccule The saccule (Latin: sacculus) is a bed of sensory cells in the inner ear that detects linear acceleration and head tilting in the vertical plane, and converts these vibrations into electrical impulses to be interpreted by the brain. When the he ...

; and behind this depression is an oblique ridge, the

crista vestibuli A crista (; : cristae) is a fold in the inner membrane of a mitochondrion. The name is from the Latin for ''crest'' or ''plume'', and it gives the inner membrane its characteristic wrinkled shape, providing a large amount of surface area for che ...

, the anterior end of which is named the pyramid of the vestibule. This ridge bifurcates below to enclose a small depression, the fossa cochlearis, which is perforated by a number of holes for the passage of filaments of the acoustic nerve which supply the vestibular end of the

cochlear duct Cochlear, the adjective form of cochlea, may refer to: * Cochlear implant, a sensory aid for the deaf * Cochlear nuclei, the ventral cochlear nucleus and the dorsal (or lateral) cochlear nucleus * Vestibular-cochlear or Vestibulocochlear nerve, ...

. The orifice of the

vestibular aqueduct At the posterior lateral wall of the temporal bone is the vestibular aqueduct, which extends to the posterior surface of the petrous portion of the temporal bone. The vestibular aqueduct parallels the petrous apex, in contrast to the cochlear ...

is the hind part of the medial wall; it extends to the posterior surface of the petrous portion of the

temporal bone The temporal bone is a paired bone situated at the sides and base of the skull, lateral to the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex. The temporal bones are overlaid by the sides of the head known as the temples where four of the cranial bone ...

. It transmits a small vein and contains a tubular prolongation of the

membranous labyrinth The membranous labyrinth is a collection of fluid filled tubes and chambers in the inner ear The inner ear (internal ear, auris interna) is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In vertebrates, the inner ear is mainly responsible for soun ...

, the

endolymphatic duct From the posterior wall of the saccule a canal, the endolymphatic duct, is given off; this duct is joined by the ductus utriculosaccularis, and then passes along the aquaeductus vestibuli and ends in a blind pouch ( endolymphatic sac) on the pos ...

, which ends in a cul-de-sac between the layers of the dura mater within the cranial cavity. On the upper wall or roof, there is a transversely oval depression, the recessus ellipticus, separated from the recessus sphæricus by the crista vestibuli already mentioned. The pyramid and adjoining part of the recessus ellipticus are perforated by a number of holes (macula cribrosa superior). The apertures in the pyramid transmit the nerves to the utricle; those in the recessus ellipticus are the nerves to the ampullæ of the superior and lateral semicircular ducts. Behind, the five orifices of the semicircular canals can be found. In the frontal view, there is an elliptical opening which communicates with the

vestibular duct The vestibular duct or scala vestibuli is a perilymph-filled cavity inside the cochlea of the inner ear that conducts sound vibrations to the cochlear duct. It is separated from the cochlear duct by Reissner's membrane and extends from the ve ...

of the cochlea.

Additional images

File:Sobo 1909 783.png, Right osseous labyrinth (lateral view). File:Gray923.png, The cochlea and vestibule (view from above). File:Gray919.png, Chain of ossicles and their ligaments, seen from the front in a vertical, transverse section of the tympanum. (Vestibule visible at center right.) File:Sobo 1911 773.png, Internal liquid structures of the cochlea and semicircular ducts, vestibule at centre.

Structure

Additional images

References

See also