Ossiculair

Ossiculair, in Dutch usage, refers to the ossicles of the middle ear, the three tiny bones that form the ossicular chain: the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and stapes (stirrup). These bones reside in the middle ear cavity between the tympanic membrane and the inner ear’s cochlea. The malleus connects to the eardrum, the malleus articulates with the incus, and the incus articulates with the stapes. The chain is stabilized by ligaments and is supplied by two small muscles, the tensor tympani and stapedius, which can modulate movement to protect the inner ear.

The primary function of the ossicular system is to transmit sound vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear while providing impedance matching between air and the fluid-filled cochlea. Through lever action and area transformation, the ossicles increase the pressure transmitted to the oval window, facilitating efficient hearing.

Developmentally, the ossicles originate from the pharyngeal arches: the malleus and incus derive mainly from Meckel’s cartilage of the first arch, while the stapes arises from Reichert’s cartilage of the second arch. They ossify and migrate to the middle ear during fetal development.

Clinically, disorders of the ossicular chain can cause conductive hearing loss. Trauma, chronic otitis media, or conditions such as otosclerosis (stapes footplate fixation) can impair transmission. Treatments include ossiculoplasty or stapedectomy, often with prosthetic devices, to restore movement and sound transmission.

Ossiculair terminology is used to describe these middle-ear bones and their functional system, commonly referred to in English as the ossicular chain or ossicles.