What is the vestibular aqueduct?

The

human ears consist of an outer canal, a middle ear that contains three bones that respond to the movement of the ear drum, and a complex internal structure. In the center of the inner ear is usually an organ called vestibule. On the one hand, there are usually channels to help control balance, and on the other is Kochlea, which converts sounds into nerve pulses using microscopic hair cells. Normal fluid pressure usually keeps the inner ear correctly. This pressure can be regulated by a vestibular aqueduct, a channel in the bone between the inner ear and the interior of the skull.

The vestibular aqueduct normally consists of the tube through the bones and the inner membrane called the endolymphatic channel. After children are about three or four years old, the tube usually has a shape of J and is about 0.4 inches long (10 millimeters). Normal average width is about 0.03 inches (0.8 millimeters), but the vestibular aqueduct can be up to about 0.05 inches (1.4 millimers) wide. At birth is usually shorter and straight but developmentHe continues his early childhood.

fluid called endolymphs usually fills the vestibular aqueduct and flows from the inner ear. On the other hand, the structure called endolymphatic bag usually sits in the skull and just outside the brain's protective membranes. There is also a vein and artery in the bony channel, which is part of the skull time bone. Endolymphs usually have a high potassium content and is very similar to the fluids that surround the cells in the body.

The health of vestibular aqueduct often carries the right balance and hearing. The deformities of its structure can lead to vertigo and other problems with balance as well as hearing loss. Some people are born with a channel that is too wide; If it has a diameter of more than 1.5 millimeters (about 0.06 inches), you can indicate an enlarged vestibular aqueduct syndrome (EVAS). The condition is usually genetic, but hearing loss over time often proceeds because the fluid may back up in the inner earand damage to sensitive structures. Infections, injuries and rapid air pressure changes can cause symptoms.

doctors can see vestibular aqueduct with medical scanning. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computer scanning Tomagrapha (CT) are often able to analyze small structures of the area in detail. The aqueduct usually develops after the birth of the child and may damage the development.