aditus to mastoid antrum

{{Infobox anatomy

| Name = Aditus to mastoid antrum

| Latin = aditus ad antrum mastoideum

| Image = Gray914.png

| Caption = The medial wall and part of the posterior and anterior walls of the right tympanic cavity, side view.

| Image2 = Gray913.png

| Caption2 = Coronal section of right temporal bone

| System =

| Precursor =

}}

The aditus to mastoid antrum (otomastoid foramen) is a large, irregular opening{{Cite book |last=Gray |first=Henry |url=https://archive.org/details/anatomyofhumanbo1918gray/page/1042/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Gray's Anatomy |year=1918 |edition=20th |page=1042}} upon the posterior wall of the tympanic cavity by which the mastoid antrum (situated posteriorly) communicates with the epitympanic recess of the tympanic cavity (situated anteriorly).{{Cite book |last=Sinnatamby |first=Chummy S. |title=Last's Anatomy |publisher= Elsevier Australia|year=2011 |isbn=978-0-7295-3752-0 |edition=12th |page=416}} The walls of the antrum are lined by mucosa which is continuous with that lining the mastoid cells and tympanic cavity.{{Cite book |last=Standring |first=Susan |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1201341621 |title=Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-7020-7707-4 |edition=42th |location=New York |pages=746 |oclc=1201341621}}

The medial wall of the aditus features a ridge created by the underlying facial canal, and a bulge created by the underlying ampulla of the lateral semicircular canal. The short limb of incus is lodged in a shallow fossa upon the posterior wall of the tympanic cavity just inferior to the aditus. The pyramidal eminence is situated inferior to the aditus.

See also

References

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