Intrinsic muscles of external ear
Encyclopedia
The intrinsic muscles of the external ear are the:
- The Helicis major is a narrow vertical band situated upon the anterior margin of the helixHelixA helix is a type of smooth space curve, i.e. a curve in three-dimensional space. It has the property that the tangent line at any point makes a constant angle with a fixed line called the axis. Examples of helixes are coil springs and the handrails of spiral staircases. A "filled-in" helix – for...
. It arises below, from the spina helicisSpina helicisAt the front part of the auricula, where the helix bends upward, is a small projection of cartilage, called the spina helicis....
, and is inserted into the anterior border of the helix, just where it is about to curve backward.
- The Helicis minor is an oblique fasciculusMuscle fascicleIn anatomy, a fascicle is a bundle of skeletal muscle fibers surrounded by perimysium, a type of connective tissue.Specialized muscle fibers in the heart that transmit electrical impulses from the Atrioventricular Node to the Purkinje Fibers are fascicles, also referred to as bundle branches...
, covering the crus helicis.
- The Tragicus is a short, flattened vertical band on the lateral surface of the tragus.
- The Antitragicus arises from the outer part of the antitragus, and is inserted into the cauda helicisCauda helicisIn the lower part of the helix the cartilage is prolonged downward as a tail-like process, the cauda helicis; this is separated from the antihelix by a fissure, the fissura antitragohelicina....
and antihelixAntihelixOn the pinna, a curved prominence of cartilage, parallel with and in front of the helix, is called the antihelix, also known as the anthelix; this divides above into two crura, the crura antihelicis, between which is a triangular depression, the fossa triangularis....
.
- The Transversus auriculæ is placed on the cranial surface of the pinna. It consists of scattered fibers, partly tendinous and partly muscular, extending from the eminentia conchae to the prominence corresponding with the scapha.
- The Obliquus auriculæ, also on the cranial surface, consists of a few fibers extending from the upper and back part of the conchaConchaConcha can refer to:* The bowl-shaped part of the pinna nearest the ear canal* Concha or Concho, a round decorative piece of metal seen on a western saddle and other horse equipment descended from the Spanish tradition....
to the convexity immediately above it.