著者

清水 佐和道 青木 和博 本多 芳男

出版者

日本耳科学会

雑誌

Ear Research Japan (ISSN:02889781)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.15, no.1, pp.178-181, 1984

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In order to determine development of each part of human middle ear, the development processes of various parts from the middle tympanum to the antrum were observed and compared relatively based on the epithelial invasion the auditory tube at each stage of fetal development using fetal temple from 17th to 26th weeks of gestation. The middle ear cavity is considered to be formed through combined effects of various processes such as epithelial invasion of the auditory tube, resorption of the fetal connective tissue, thinning of the bone wall of the otic capsule, outward proliferation of the temporal bone due to cartilaginous and fibrous bone formations, and active bone metabolism at the mastoid cavity, with formation of a series of pneumatic space. It was found that the resorption process of the fetal connective tissue did not occur uniformly, with a persisting tendency for the area from the superior tympanum to the periovular window for a prolonged period. These findings are interesting embryologically in terms of the causal relation in development from the posterosuperior area of the steatoma to the superior tympanum of the middle ear.