Vestibule Health Dictionary

(1) Part of the membraneous labyrinth within the vestibule of the EAR.

(2) Prostatic utricle is a small sac extending out of the male URETHRA into the matrix of the PROSTATE GLAND.... utricle

The organ of hearing and balance. It consists of three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear.

The outer ear comprises the pinna and the ear canal. The outer part of the ear canal produces earwax, which traps dust and foreign bodies. The canal is closed at its inner end by the eardrum, which vibrates in response to changes in air pressure that make sound.

The middle ear is a cavity that conducts sound to the inner ear by means of three tiny, linked, movable bones known as ossicles. The first bone, the malleus, is joined to the inner surface of the eardrum. The second, the incus, is linked to the malleus and to the third bone, the stapes. The base of the stapes fills the oval window leading to the

inner ear. The eustachian tube links the middle ear to the back of the nose.

The inner ear is an intricate series of structures deep within the skull. The front part, the cochlea, is a tube containing nerve fibres that detect different sound frequencies. The rear part of the inner ear contains three semicircular canals and is concerned with balance. The semicircular canals are connected to a cavity called the vestibule and contain hair cells bathed in fluid. Some of these cells are sensitive to gravity and acceleration; others detect direction of movement. Information from the inner ear is conducted to the brain via the vestibulocochlear nerve.... ear

A structure in the inner ear that plays a role in balance. There are 3 semicircular canals in each ear, at right angles to each other, and connected via a chamber called the vestibule. The fluid-filled canals contain small hairs that detect movement and acceleration, and transmit information to the brain via the vestibular nerve.... semicircular canal

An illusion that one or one’s surroundings are spinning. Vertigo is due to a disturbance of the semicircular canals in the inner ear or the nerve tracts leading from them. Sudden-onset vertigo is treated with rest and antihistamine drugs, which, in some cases, are also given to prevent recurrent attacks.vesicle A small blister, usually filled with clear fluid, that forms at a site of skin damage. The term is also used to refer to any small sac-like structure in the body. vestibule A chamber. The vestibule in the inner ear is a hollow chamber that connects the 3 semicircular canals. vestibulitis Inflammation of the nasal vestibule (the part of the nasal cavity just inside the nostril), usually as a result of bacterial infection.... vertigo

n. (pl. ampullae) an enlarged or dilated ending of a tube or canal. The semicircular canals of the inner ear are expanded into ampullae at the point where they join the vestibule. The ampulla of Vater is the dilated part of the common bile duct where it is joined by the pancreatic duct.... ampulla

n. (in anatomy) an opening resembling a window. The fenestra ovalis (fenestra vestibuli) – the oval window – is the opening between the middle *ear and the vestibule of the inner ear. It is closed by a membrane to which the stapes is attached. The fenestra rotunda (fenestra cochleae) – the round window – is the opening between the scala tympani of the cochlea and the middle ear. Sound vibrations leave the cochlea through the fenestra rotunda which, like the fenestra ovalis, is closed by a membrane.... fenestra

n. 1. one of the conical masses that make up the medulla of the *kidney, extending inwards from a base inside the cortex towards the pelvis of the kidney. 2. one of the elongated bulging areas on the anterior surface of the *medulla oblongata in the brain, extending downwards to the spinal cord. 3. one of the divisions of the vermis of the *cerebellum in the middle lobe. 4. a protrusion of the medial wall of the vestibule of the middle ear.... pyramid

(sacculus) n. the smaller of the two membranous sacs within the vestibule of the ear: it forms part of the membranous *labyrinth. It is filled with fluid (endolymph) and contains a *macula. This responds to gravity and relays information to the brain about the position of the head.... saccule

n. unexplained vulval pain, often coupled with sexual dysfunction and psychological disorder, which is often described by the patient as a burning stinging sensation and/or rawness. Cyclic vulvodynia occurs in relation to menstruation or coitus and is thought to be due to changes in vaginal pH that make the vulva more susceptible to infection. Essential (or dysaesthetic) vulvodynia is thought to be due to an altered perception of cutaneous pain, like postherpetic *neuralgia. Treatment of essential vulvodynia is with tricyclic antidepressants at night, biofeedback, vestibulectomy, cognitive behavioural therapy, topical capsaicin cream, lignocaine gel, and good skin care.... vulvodynia