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 nerve Tympanic nerve The tympanic nerve (nerve of Jacobson) is a branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve found near the ear. It arises from the petrous ganglion, and ascends to the tympanic cavity through a small canal, the inferior tympanic canaliculus, on the under surface of the petrous portion of the temporal bone on the ridge which separates the carotid canal from the jugular fossa. In the tympanic cavity it divides into branches which form the tympanic plexus and are contained in grooves upon the surface of the promontory. Jacobson's nerve contains both sensory and secretory fibers. The postganglionic parasympathetic fibers are