The stapes or stirrup is the stirrup-shaped small bone or ossicle in the middle ear which attaches the incus to the fenestra ovalis, the "oval window" which is adjacent to the vestibule of the inner ear. It is the smallest and lightest bone in the human body.
The stapes transmits the sound vibrations from the incus to the membrane of the inner ear inside the fenestra ovalis. The stapes is also stabilized by the stapedius muscle, which is innervated by the facial nerve.2
In non-mammalian vertebrates, the bone homologous to the stapes is usually called the columella; however, in reptiles, either term may be used.
See also
References
- ^ hednk-023 — Embryology at UNC
- ^ http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/nervous_system/ear_ans.html Stapedius muscle
- Vallejo-Valdezate LA, Martín-Gil J, José-Yacamán M, Martín-Gil FJ, Gil-Carcedo LM. "Scanning electron microscopy images and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis of the stapes in otosclerosis and van der Hoeve syndrome". Laryngoscope. 2000 Sep;110(9):1505-10.
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