Oval window

Oval window
View of the inner wall of the tympanum. (label is 'fen. oval.' - black circle near top.)
Right osseous labyrinth. Lateral view. (label is 'vestibular fenestra' - black circle near center.)
Latin	fenestra vestibuli, fenestra ovalis
Gray's	subject #230 1040
MeSH	Oval+Window
Dorlands/Elsevier	Oval window

The oval window (or vestibular window) is a membrane-covered opening which leads from the middle ear to the vestibule of the inner ear.

Vibrations that come into contact with the tympanic membrane travel through the three ossicles and into the inner ear. The oval window is the intersection of the middle ear with the inner ear, and is directly contacted by the stapes; by the time vibrations reach the oval window, they have been amplified over twenty times from what they were when they contacted the tympanic membrane, a testament to the amplifying power of the middle ear.

It is a reniform (kidney-shaped) opening leading from the tympanic cavity into the vestibule of the internal ear; its long diameter is horizontal, and its convex border is upward. In the recent state it is occupied by the base of the stapes, the circumference of which is fixed by the annular ligament to the margin of the foramen.

Additional images

• 

  Cochlea

External links

• Diagram at Washington University
• The Anatomy Wiz. Oval Window

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.

This anatomy article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Auditory system Ear Anatomy stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР Samuel Morton Peto Edwardian period Look at other dictionaries: oval window — ō vəl n an oval opening between the middle ear and the vestibule having the base of the stapes or columella attached to its membrane called also fenestra ovalis, fenestra vestibuli * * * see fenestra * * * fenestra v …   Medical dictionary oval window — noun Date: 1683 an oval opening between the middle ear and the vestibule having the base of the stapes or columella attached to its membrane …   New Collegiate Dictionary oval window — Anat. an oval opening at the head of the cochlea, connecting the middle and inner ear, through which sound vibrations of the stapes are transmitted. [1675 85] * * * …   Universalium oval window — o′val win′dow n. anat. an oval opening in the wall between the middle and inner ear against which the base of the stapes vibrates during sound transmission • Etymology: 1675–85 …   From formal English to slang oval window — see fenestra (ovalis) …   The new mediacal dictionary oval window — noun fenestra that has the base of the stapes attached to it • Syn: ↑fenestra ovalis, ↑fenestra vestibuli, ↑fenestra of the vestibule • Hypernyms: ↑fenestra …   Useful english dictionary Window (disambiguation) — A window is an opening in an otherwise solid, opaque surface, through which light can pass.Window may also refer to:Business* Video window, the delay between a movie s theatrical and DVD releaseComputing* Window (computing), a display rectangle… …   Wikipedia Окно (Fenestra, Oval Window) — (в анатомии) отверстие, напоминающее окно. Овальное окно (fenestra ovalis) (или окно преддверия (fenestra vestibuli)), закрытое основанием стремени (ред.), представляет собой отверстие между средним ухом и преддверием внутреннего уха. Круглое… …   Медицинские термины fossula of oval window — f. fenestrae vestibuli …   Medical dictionary Oval Office — President Barack Obama edits his remarks in the Oval Office prior to making a televised statement detailing the mission against Osama bin Laden, May 1, 2011 …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”