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Fenestra vestibuli
Sensory (eye & ear)OrgansHeadLeft and right
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- What it is
- The fenestra vestibuli: an oval opening in the bony wall between the middle ear and the vestibule of the inner ear, sealed by the stapes footplate and its annular ligament.
- Function
- Entry point for sound energy into the perilymph of the scala vestibuli.
- Size
- About 3 x 1.5 mm.
- Clinical note
- The eardrum is about 17 times larger than the footplate; this area ratio plus the ossicular lever boosts pressure some 22-fold, matching air to fluid.