Tympanic membrane retraction over the surface and move out along the ear canal. Even if migration along the ear canal is blocked, new cells continue to grow so the surface of the eardrum becomes larger. This process of proliferation and migration can result in enlargement of a retraction pocket so that the eardrum expands and grows deeper into the ear. The majority of tympanic membrane retractions remain stable for long periods of time, or may even resolve spontaneously so that eardrum becomes normal again. Not all retractions are able to resolve even if middle ear pressure normalizes, as the retracted segment may become
Tympanic part of the temporal bone Tympanic part of the temporal bone The tympanic part of the temporal bone is a curved plate of bone lying below the squamous part of the temporal bone, in front of the mastoid process, and surrounding the external part of the ear canal. It originates as a separate bone (tympanic bone), which in some mammals stays separate through life. Evolutionarily, a portion of it is derived from the angular bone of the reptilian lower jaw. Its postero-superior surface is concave, and forms the anterior wall, the floor, and part of the posterior wall of the bony ear canal. Medially, it