Most commonly called the eardrum, the tympanic membrane is an oval-shaped, thin, fibrous membrane that covers the ear canal separating the outer ear (external acoustic meatus) from the middle ear (tympanum). The tympanic membrane is bilaminar with the...

n. (also tympanum, tympanic membrane) The membrane separating the canal of the outer ear from the middle ear. Sound waves striking the eardrum cause it to vibrate, and these vibrations are passed across the eardrum to the auditory ossicles of the...

The eardrum: see COCHLEA;...

see tympanic...

The tympanic membrane (also tympanum or myrinx), colloquially known as the eardrum, is a thin membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. Its function is to transmit sound from the air to the ossicles inside the middle ear. The malleus...

The Problem: Piercing pain, not unlike chopsticks being pushed through your eardrums, encountered during takeoffs and landings. (Note: This is not the more typical vague discomfort many travelers feel before their ears pop. If this common phenomenon is a headache, full-blown "eustachian tube dysfunction"...

Q: Is it true that I could rupture an eardrum by blowing my nose too hard? A: No, the sensation in your ears is from vibrations due to pressure change. But that's not to say it's a good idea. Forcefully blowing your nose...

An unusual study by doctors treating blast victims at a field hospital in Iraq has found that ruptured eardrums may help reveal which troops are at risk of hidden brain injury.The finding is important because many such brain injuries have been missed in the past,...

   Otitis media is an infection or inflammation of the middle ear. This inflammation often begins when infections that cause sore throats, colds, or other respiratory or breathing problems spread to the middle ear. These can be viral or bacterial infections. Seventy-five percent of children...