Semimacroscopic studies of a mucous fold in the posterosuperior quadrant of the tympanic membrane of the middle ear in some mammals
de Lara Galindo, S.; Cuspinera de Galindo, M.E.
Acta Anatomica 107(3): 318-323
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-5180 PMID: 6771958 Document Number: 166029
The ligaments and folds of the middle ear are compared with the mesentery of the abdominal cavity. From a phylogenetic point of view, these structures 1st appear in the cynodonts. These ligaments maintain the malleus and the incus in the tympanic cavity, increasing the transmission of the auditory system. Some of these ligaments and folds are different in some mammals. A mucous fold was described in the posterosuperior quadrant of the human tympanic membrane. It emerges from the highest portion of the handle of the malleus near its neck and runs back and up to descend in the ceiling of the tympanic cavity. This mucous fold was searched in 104 ears of 12 mammalian species, including 3 spp. of primates. It was found only in 4 Ateles monkeys, where it is similar to that in man. Apparently, this fold is a vestigial embryonic structure. The knowledge of these folds is important for advances in aural microsurgery; and to know more about the structures that have phylogenetic relations in the evolution of the anatomy of the ear in the animal kingdom.