Oval window Oval window The oval window (or fenestra vestibuli) is a membrane-covered opening that leads from the middle ear to the vestibule of the inner ear. Vibrations that contact the tympanic membrane travel through the three ossicles and into the inner ear. The oval window is the intersection of the middle ear with the inner ear and is directly contacted by the stapes; by the time vibrations reach the oval window, they have been amplified over 10 times from what they were when they contacted the tympanic membrane, a testament to the amplifying power of the middle ear. It is a
Inferior tympanic artery can result in pulsatile tinnitus. The resulting Aberrant Carotid artery can mimic neoplasm on CT. Inferior tympanic artery The inferior tympanic artery is a small branch of the ascending pharyngeal artery. It is a small branch which passes through a minute foramen in the petrous portion of the temporal bone which is called tympanic canaliculus or inferior tympanic canaliculus, in company with the tympanic branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve, to supply the medial wall of the tympanic cavity and anastomose with the other tympanic arteries. In the case of a missing or underdeveloped cervical ICA, the Inferior tympanic artery can