Lateral semicircular canal
Canalis semicircularis lateralis
Sensory (eye & ear)OrgansHeadLeft and right
View left in 3D View right in 3D
- What it is
- The lateral (horizontal) semicircular canal, tilted about 30 degrees up at the front, bulges into the middle ear above the canal of the facial nerve; its ampulla lies at the anterior end next to the utricle.
- Function
- Senses turning the head from side to side (yaw).
- Size
- Radius about 3.2-4 mm; the shortest canal, about 15 mm.
- Clinical note
- Caloric testing irrigates the ear canal with warm or cool water to set up convection in this canal and provoke nystagmus.